House of Sorrow
by impossibleboy1990
Summary: When a young girl goes missing in the woods outside Cardiff, the Torchwood team investigate and find an abandoned sanatorium that houses more than just echoes of the past.
1. Prologue

Catrin Foster pulled her jacket closer to her against the early autumn chill.

She puffed on a fag slowly, the burning tip faintly illuminating the dark woods.

Where the bloody hell is he? she wondered as she drew on the cigarette again, exhaling the pungent smoke, which billowed around her.

She was supposed to be meeting her boyfriend, Aeron there in the woods. Why she did not know; that is to say she knew why they were meeting, but not the reason why Aeron had chosen these spooky woods.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, testing the words out for the first time. She'd only found out that morning, but she had decided that she had to tell Aeron immediately. I hope he doesn't leave me, she thought with trepidation. I don't want to be a single mum like mine.

A loud crack behind her caused Catrin to whirl around, her heart leaping up into her throat. The cigarette fell from her hands, landing on the wet dirt by her feet.

"Aeron, is that you?" she called out, her voice trembling with fear.

There was no response, except for her ragged breathing and pounding heart.

"Aeron, quit mucking about!"

Catrin tried to quell the fear in her voice, but even she could hear that she was scared shitless.

Why did I agree to meet him here? she wondered as her eyes scanned her dark surroundings for any hint of movement. And without a machete or something.

She knelt and picked up the fag, drawing on it deeply. She tried to make out the way that she had come, but a fog was rolling in and she could barely see the trees close by.

What the bloody hell am I going to do? I can't very well take off running blind. I'll break my ankle or something. I have to do something, though, and soon!

Suddenly, she felt an arm or something snake around her. With a piercing scream, Catrin stabbed the lit end of the fag into whatever was holding her. She heard a masculine cry of pain, as well as smelled the noxious scent of burning flesh.

The arm released her and Catrin whipped out her mobile, the screen barely lighting up enough for her to see whom her attacker was.

"Aeron!?" she bellowed, anger setting fire to her blood. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

Aeron held up a placating hand, his other holding firmly to his new burn.

"I was just having a laugh," Aeron slurred.

Catrin caught a whiff of his breath and blanched. Aeron's breath smelt of beer and marijuana. He was totally monged out of his mind.

"You twat!" she hissed, smacking him on the arm as hard as she could. "You scared the fucking shit out of me!"

Aeron's glassy eyes widened and he seemed to sober up almost instantaneously.

"I'm sorry love," he said gently, trailing his finger down her plump bottom lip.

Catrin felt her anger diffuse and a tightness in her groin at his touch.

Aeron had always had a sort of power over her, right from the beginning. As much as she had wanted to date someone her own age, in her own class at college, Aeron had been simply irresistible to her. Sure, he had dropped out of uni and was living at his mate's flat, smoking weed, drinking, and playing his X Box all day, but he really was a sweetheart underneath it all. When they'd had sex for the first time he had made love to her slowly and tenderly, as if she were a virgin, which she most certainly was not.

He remembered her birthday and her mum's birthday, as well as other insignificant things that boys never remembered. Catrin couldn't explain it properly, but she was helpless against his charm. No matter how much he fucked up, she just couldn't quit him.

With a relieved smile, she grabbed his hand.

"Forgive me?" he asked.

"I forgive you," she replied.

He pulled her close and crushed his lips against hers, his hand slipping into the camisole she wore under her jacket and caressing the soft flesh of her back.

"I have something to show you," he whispered.

"Okay," she agreed, chewing her tingling lip.

"Come on."

Without another word, Aeron took her hand and started walking, leading them through the darkness. He brandished a torch in front of them, lighting the path significantly.

She stumbled once or twice on a root or loose branch, but Aeron steadied her before she could go down.

They walked for several minutes, the fog clinging to them like the smoke from her fag. What the Hell is he up to? she wondered.

In the glow of the torch, she began to make out the shape of a building. As they got closer she saw that it was a rather large building, though dilapidated.

They came to the stone steps leading up to front doors. To the right, a weathered sign hung, but she could still make out the Welsh words inscribed there. Sanatorwm. Sanatorium.

"Why are we here? "she asked, a shiver crawling down her spine.

"I found it," Aeron replied proudly.

"You've brought me to an abandoned sanatorium in the middle of the woods at night?" Catrin said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You'll love it inside, I promise, "Aeron enthused.

"I am not going in there!" Catrin protested, stamping her booted foot down on the ground.

"It'll be fun, I promise," Aeron cajoled, grinning mischievously. "I'll never let anything bad happen to you."

Catrin felt the resistance vanish from her body. She was safe enough with Aeron.

She gave him her hand with a sheepish grin.

"Let's not be too long, yeah? I have school in the morning."

"We'll make it quick," Aeron replied, his voice dripping with lust.

He took her hand and led her up the steps to the front door. When he pushed them, the ancient oaken doors groaned inward, the noise ripping through the otherwise silent night.

As they entered the sanatorium, their footfalls echoed off the high walls, surrounding them.

In the light from Aeron's torch, Catrin could see piles and piles of a scattered papers, and abandoned wheelchairs. The place stunk of animal waste and mold.

Aeron led her down the first corridor, and they passed several rooms before stopping before a nondescript door.

With a cheeky grin, Aeron pulled the door open and ushered her inside.

The room was illuminated by a ring of burning candles, the air heady with the scent of lavender.

In the corner of the room was a weathered bed, the metal frame rusted, and the mattress stained. Up above, the ceiling had caved in, moonlight spilling in through the hole.

She turned to face Aeron, who shuffled his feet nervously.

"You did this for me?" Catrin asked, touched.

"When you rang and said you wanted to talk, I reckoned that you were about to dump me." He sighed. "I can do the romantic bit, I can! And I'll sort myself out. I applied to uni again."

"Aeron," Catrin said softly, twining her hands through his thick brown hair.

Their lips met, and he picked her up, setting her down on the bed.

"Oh , no," she said, pulling back from the kiss. "I am not having sex on this filthy old bed."

"Sex can wait," he murmured, kissing her again.

They fell back onto the mattress, and his mouth moved down to her creamy white neck.

Goose pimples rose on her skin, and nipples hardened, straining against her camisole.

Suddenly, something scraped in the distance.

Catrin and Aeron jumped to their feet.

"What the fuck was that?" she gasped.

Was someone in there, too? Who would be in an abandoned sanatorium in the middle of the night?

Aeron knelt down and picked up a rusty pipe on the floor.

"Stay here," he whispered, hoisting the pipe up behind him like baseball bat.

His heart pounding in his chest, Aeron slowly approached the door. He held the torch out in front of him.

Aeron poked his head out the door and shone the torch first left, then right. Nothing seemed amiss In the corridor.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Aeron lowered the pipe, turning back to Catrin.

"It was probably just a rat or something," he assured her.

Suddenly something dropped down from the ceiling and something sharp stabbed through his chest.

Aeron stared down at it, his eyes wide with fear.

The knife was wrenched out of his chest.

A dark red stain oozed out of the wound, tarnishing his white shirt.

Aeron gasped for breath, his lungs filling with blood.

Catrin screamed as Aeron crashed to the floor, his eyes staring glassily up at her.

The figure turned to face Catrin, taking a step toward her.

Fear taking over, Catrin ran for the window and threw herself between the jagged bars.

Pain jolted through her shoulder as she landed on the ground.

Grimacing, she staggered to her feet and took off into the fog shrouded woods.

Catrin stumbled in the dark, her lungs burning with the exertion.

She knew it was pointless, but she couldn't fight the urge to peer back over her shoulder to see if the killer was pursuing her.

From what little she could see, she was in the clear, but with the fog so thick, she couldn't accurately see anything.

Catrin turned back to face the front and saw the tree dead center before her mere seconds before she collided with it.


	2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Ianto Jones was running for his life. He didn't know what from, but he did know that his life depended on it.

His dress shoes slid on the stone floor as he sprinted down a long corridor, sweat dampening his brow. His heart threatened to burst from him chest, and his lungs were on fire. All he knew was that he had to keep running,

He turned the corner, and skidded to a halt. Ahead, the pathway came to a jagged, abrupt end. The ground lay hundreds of feet below.

"No!" he shouted, turning back to look behind him.

His shadowy pursuer was just rounding the corner, walking at a leisurely pace.

Ianto glanced back at the ground, trying to decide if he could survive the fall if he leapt . Probably not, he thought, looking around of another solution,

Maybe he could disarm his stalker and then climb the ivy to the next floor. He wasn't sure if the ivy would support his weight, or what was above him, but he knew that whatever it was, it had to be better than what was headed his way.

"Stay back!" he barked, swinging his fist threateningly.

The shadowy figure continued walking toward him.

"I said stay back!"

Ianto threw another punch, which connected with his assailant, or rather, went through the thing. Oh fuck, he thought.

Desperate, he grabbed at the ivy and hauled himself up, not caring that he was mucking up his suit.

Surprisingly, the ivy held his weight. Not stopping to worry anymore, he hauled himself up, using al his strength.

He pulled himself up onto another stone floor nearly identical to the one that the had just been on. He swung his legs up and lay for a second on the cold stone floor, panting like a dog.

A bone saw stabbed through the floor, inches from Ianto's head.

With a manly scream, Ianto sprung to his feet and took off down the corridor. He went up a flight of stairs and through a door.

Ianto slammed the door behind himself, and barred it with a wooden beam. He turned around and surveyed that he was high up the roof.

Looking down over the edge, he saw that he was several stories up from the ground, definitely too high up to jump.

The door burst open with a rending shriek of metal.

"Oh, come on!" Ianto muttered, running his hand through his short hair in exasperation.

The thing started toward him, it's shadow essence trailing behind it.

A gun suddenly materialized in Ianto's hand, the cool steel at once comforting and menacing, too. Ianto was not overly familiar with guns.

Sliding the safety off, he aimed the handgun the approaching figure, grounding his feet.

"Fists can go through you,, but can bullets?" Ianto taunted, trying his damnedest to sound unafraid,

The creature didn't halt its pursuit. It either didn't understand what he was saying, or it just didn't care.

No pressure, then, Ianto thought, sighing with resignation.

He pulled the trigger repeatedly, steeling himself against the recoil.

The bullets ripped through the creature, its blood spraying out. The bullets pushed it back, throwing it against the door.

Ianto kept firing until his hand began to grow sore.

Tentatively, he lowered the gun, cautiously looking at the slouched figure by the door. There were no signs of life it.

Ianto sighed with relief, and dropped his defenses,

In the blink of an eye, the creature was back on its feet and crossed the twelve feet to Ianto.

Cold hands clasped his throat, lifting him up off of his feet. Ianto's eyes bugged out of his head, his lungs screaming for air.

"Please," he croaked beseechingly.

Sunlight spilled onto the shadow figure, and it's features changed to that of Captain Jack Harkness, Ianto's boss and lover.

"Jack!?" Ianto exclaimed.

"Ianto." Jack's tone was ice cold, like his grip.

"Why?" Ianto could not keep the hurt out of his voice. How could Jack do this to him?

"I'm bored," Jack replied.

He threw Ianto across the roof. Ianto landed on his back, the air whooshing out of his lungs. He lay there stunned, his head swimming.

Jack snatched him up once again and held him over the edge of the roof, his eyes gleaming maliciously.

"Why Jack?"

"It's time."

"But I loved you!" Ianto sobbed, tears pooling up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

"I never loved you," Jack replied, angrily.

The pain in Ianto's chest was more intense than anything he had ever felt, except watching Jack kill his girlfriend, Lisa.

"Nighty night, Eye Candy," Captain John Hart said, materializing at Jack's side,

Jack's tight grip on Ianto's neck loosened, and he fell.

Ianto fell in slow motion, watching as Jack and John kissed passionately, groping each other like a pair of hormonal teenagers.

The tears completely blurred Ianto's vision as the ground grew closer and closer.

* * *

Ianto gasped and shot up in bed. A cold sweat dampened his skin, and his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Ianto?" Jack murmured sleepily beside him.

Ianto glanced over at Jack, his eyes straining in the darkness of the bedroom.

"Jack," he gasped, tears springing to his eyes.

Jack sat up and put a comforting hand on Ianto's naked shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, concern tinging his voice.

"Bad dream," Ianto managed, fighting back the tears.

"Come here."

Jack pulled Ianto close to him, lying Ianto's head on his bare chest. Jack stroked Ianto's damp hair lovingly.

Normally, Ianto would find comfort in Jack's strong arms, but after the dream, all he could think of was Jack's betrayal.

"Jack?" he whispered.

"Mmmm?" Jack murmured sleepily.

"You were in my dream."

There was no response from Jack, so Ianto continued.

"You killed me," Ianto confessed.

Jack's deep, steady breathing was his response.

Ianto pulled away from Jack and pulled his clothes on. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was 3:30 in the morning.

As Ianto tied his shoes, he glanced back longingly at Jack. It had been a dream, but the truth was, Ianto was very insecure about his relationship with Jack. He had never been with a man before Jack, only women, and Jack had been with, well, everyone. He couldn't help but wonder if Jack shared his feelings, or if he was just a pleasant distraction until something better and more interesting came along.

With a heavy heart, Ianto turned and walked out of Jack's room In the Torchwood Hub.

* * *

Gwen Cooper was her usual chipper self as she made her way up the Roald Dahl Plass to the Millennium Center.

She absolutely loved her job. She had loved being a Cardiff police officer, but working for Torchwood 3 and saving the world from alien threats fulfilled her so much more. There was never a dull moment working for Torchwood. Just recently, deadly viral outbreak had broken out in Cardiff, threatening to wipe out millions of people. Thankfully, Torchwood team had been there to once again save the day.

As Gwen made her way down the boardwalk to the tourist entrance to the Torchwood Hub, she potted Glynn, a fisherman smoking fag on his dinghy.

"Morning, Glynn," Gwen called with a warm smile.

Glynn nodded at her, his eyes scanning the blue waters in the horizon.

Gwen nodded back and entered the tourist shack that Ianto ran as a front for the secret organization.

Surprisingly, Ianto was not at his usual spot behind the desk, cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a charming smile adorning his face.

I hope I'm not about to walk in on more of Jack and Ianto's naked funny business, she thought with a giggle. There had been quite a few times that she had walked in on Jack and Ianto in varying states of undress, though she had not actually (thankfully!) caught them in the act since that time in the greenhouse.

Her heeled boots clacked on the floor as she made her way through the secret passageway down to the actual entrance to the Hub.

The giant cog door slid aside to grant her entry. Gwen poked her head through the door, looking both ways.

"Oi, Jack! Ianto! Clothes on now! Fun's over!" she called. Her words echoed throughout the cavernous Hub.

"Learned you lesson?" Jack asked, coming up from the morgue.

"After last time? Yeah. I've seen more of you and Ianto than I ever cared to," Gwen replied with grin.

"Fortunately for you, there isn't any fun going on, just work."

Jack didn't smile. For once he was all business.

Gwen frowned, setting her bag down at her computer terminal.

"Is everything okay, Jack?" she asked, knitting her brow in concern.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "Why?"

I don't know, Ianto wasn't at his post, and he's not down here."

"I don't know where Ianto is. He disappeared in the middle of the night."

"Do you think it's something alien?" Gwen queried.

"I don't think so, but you never know. Stranger things have happened."

Gwen glanced at the empty computer terminals that had recently belonged to Toshiko Sato and Dr. Owen Harper. They'd recently died during a crisis when Jack's long lost brother Gray had resurfaced, trying to destroy Cardiff with the help of Captain John Heart.

Owen had perished alone at the nuclear power plant, but Toshiko had died in Jack's arms, with Gwen and Ianto watching in awe. Owen….Tosh…

Gwen could still see the life go out of Tosh s her blood dripped out onto the cold cement floor of the medical room. A cold chill grabbed ahold of Gwen's spine, making her shiver.

"You okay?" Jack inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about…Owen and Tosh."

Jack's face grew grim, and Gwen could tell that Jack still blamed himself for the death of his friends and teammates.

Any further conversation was cut short as the door slid open again, and Ianto strode in, looking impeccable in a black suit, with a checked vest, lavender dress shirt, and a red tie

"There you are," Jack said with a tight smile.

"Good morning, Sir," Ianto replied, handing Jack a mug of coffee.

"Sir? It must be my birthday," Jack replied with a wink at Ianto.

"Down boy," Ianto said, rolling his eyes.

"Where were you?" Gwen asked, accepting the cup of coffee that Ianto was holding out for her.

"I didn't sleep well last night," Ianto confessed.

'Is that why you got up and left In the middle of the night?" Jack asked.

"I wanted my own bed," Ianto said simply.

"You could've left a note," Jack said softly.

"I didn't know you cared."

Ianto spun on his heel and headed up to the board room to tidy it up.

Jack and Gwen exchanged inquiring looks before sipping their coffees.

"Shall I go talk to him?" Gwen offered.

"Why do you always get to do the talking?"

"Because you don't know how to talk, Jack. You go right into snogging and shagging," Gwen replied, giggling.

"Fair enough." Jack nodded in agreement.

Gwen took another sip of her coffee, then followed Ianto up to the board room. She knocked on the door tentatively.

"Ianto, it's me," Gwen announced.

From inside the room, Gwen could hear the roaring sounds of the vacuum cleaner. Before Ianto had become an active field agent, he had mostly spent his days as the Torchwood butler making coffee, cleaning up after them, doing Jack's laundry. He hadn't really come into his own until after the fiasco with his cyberwoman girlfriend, Lisa.

Gwen tutted in exasperation and opened the door. Ianto was vacuuming the carpet, his face scrunched up in concentration.

"Ianto," Gwen shouted, hands on her hips.

She got no reply as Ianto continued his cleaning, lost in the task.

Gwen tutted and stalked over to the plug. With frustration, she yanked the vacuum cord out of the wall plug.

Immediately, the vacuum's gregarious roar died, giving birth to peaceful silence,

Ianto turned around, brow knit in confusion, when he spotted Gwen, arms crossed over her bosom, booted foot tapping on the floor.

"Oh, Gwen." Ianto cleared his throat. "Hi."

"Hi, Ianto," Gwen said, the warmth returning to her voice. "You okay?" she queried.

"I'm fine."

His eyes averted from hers for the briefest of moments, and Gwen knew for certain that he was hiding something. She had learned a bit from her days as a police officer. Human psychology was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Something's up," Gwen continued, determined to crack Ianto's emotional shell.

Ianto's shoulders sagged, and he nodded his head, staring down at his immaculately shined dress shoes.

"Ianto?" Gwen pressed.

"It's…." Ianto trailed off and sighed. "You'll think I'm being childish."

"Try me."

Ianto sat down on the edge of the boardroom table, chewing his bottom lip. Gwen crossed the room, and sat down beside him.

"It's Jack," Ianto said softly.

"Did he…sleep with someone else?" Gwen asked gently. If he did so bloody help me, I'll knock Jack over the head with a brick

"No. Not that I know off." Ianto sighed again. "I never know where I stand with him. If he….loves me."

"He hasn't told you?"

Gwen couldn't keep the incredulity out of her voice. She wasn't exactly in the know about Jack and Ianto's relationship, but they had been at it for a while now, and she'd always assumed that they were committed or whatever the proper term was.

"He takes me out on dates, we sleep together." Ianto stared off into space. "Sometimes I get the feeling that he does care for me like that, but then other times he's so cut off I can't help but wonder if this…if I am just a momentary distraction for him."

"You could ask him," Gwen suggested, pushing her bangs out her eyes,

"Ask Jack if he's in love with me?" Ianto laughed bitterly. "Do you know how hard it is for me, Gwen? How confusing?"

"How do you mean?" Gwen frowned.

"I've never done any of this before. Before Jack, there was Lisa. Before Lisa, there was aa few girls at school. I've never wanted to be with a man before. It's….very confounding."

"I'm sorry, Ianto," Gwen soothed. "I just always assumed that you were, you know….bisexual."

"No." Ianto shook his head slowly. "It's Jack. Just Jack."

"He does have an effect on people," Gwen supplied. "He has this thing about him, like he oozes sexuality."

"Yeah." Ianto's mind flashed to Jack's mouth on him, their bodies entwined in the dark, the feelings that coursed through him during their nocturnal activities.

"You have to talk to him, Ianto. It's the only way you'll know for sure," Gwen pressed.

"I know, I just…don't know how. I don't know what to say."

"Tell him what you just told me."

"About it being only him?" Ianto asked.

"Yeah. Every man wants to be extraordinary, wants to be the hero of the story. That would definitely stroke his ego."

"Fair point," Ianto conceded.

"It'll be okay, Ianto, I promise." Gwen rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "For what it's worth, I think Jack cares about you very, very much."

"Yeah?"

"Haven't you seen the bloody way he looks at you? Haven't you seen how angry he gets when you're in danger?"

"No."

"It's the same way that Rhys looks at me, that I look at Rhys."

A grin tugged at the corners of Ianto's lips.

Suddenly, Gwen's mobile started to ring.

Gwen stood up and fished the phone out of her pocket. The name on the display screen was ANDY. It was her old police partner, Andy Davidson.

Andy often called Gwen when his cases had a weird vibe to them, and Torchwood would step in and save the day.

"Hello, Andy," Gwen said amiably.

"Oh, Gwen, thank God!" Andy gushed.

"What's going on?"

"Have you heard about those two kids that went missing a few weeks ago in The Cwm Nofydd?"

Gwen had seen something on the news about It recently. A teenage girl and her boyfriend had met in the woods outside of Cardiff late at night. They had not been seen since. Police had been sweeping the woods, but nothing had yet been found.

"I know the basics," Gwen replied, her stomach tying up into a knot.

"I found her, Gwen. I found Catrin Foster. It's….it's not good, Gwen?"

"What do you mean?"

Gwen's blood felt like it had been drained from her body and replaced with ice,

"Can you meet me? I could really use your help," Andy begged.

Gwen swallowed the fear that was welling up inside of her.

"I'll be there, Andy, as soon as I can. I have to talk to Jack first,"

"I'm at the hospital."

"See you soon."

Gwen ended the call and turned to Ianto, who was eying her with curiosity.

"Is everything okay?" Ianto asked.

"That was Andy. He found her."

"Found whom?"

"That girl who went missing in the woods a few weeks ago. Something tells me that this isn't going to be good."

Ianto jumped to his feet, all business.

"Let's go get Jack," Ianto said, all traces of his earlier upset totally gone.

"Let's," Gwen agreed.

They quickly exited the room and raced down the stairs to find Jack.


	3. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Jack listened intently as Gwen filled him in on what she'd learned from Andy.

"He found her, Jack. That girl that went missing a few weeks ago in the woods," Gwen said with great intensity.

Jack nodded and put his hands in his trouser pockets, chewing the inside of his lip thoughtfully

"And what makes you think that this is a matter for Torchwood?" he asked.

"I haven't herd the full story yet, but how many people go missing in the woods around Cardiff, Jack."

"Maybe she tried to run away from home and after a few weeks realized that she couldn't cut it."

"Who runs away to the bloody woods?" Gwen argued. "I am going to see her.'

'By all means."

Jack held out his hands in surrender, a cracking big smile.

"You arse!" Gwen hissed, smacking Jack's arm.

"Sorry. You look so hot when you get mad."

Ianto cleared his throat loudly, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Not as hot as you do when you're mad," Jack murmured as he walked past the sullen Ianto. His voice was full of charm, dripping with seduction.

Ianto found himself slightly less angry.

"Ianto, I'm going to the hospital with Gwen. Why don't you stay here? I might need your expert research skills," Jack continued.

"Yes, sir," Ianto replied.

Jack's eyes glowed with lust and Ianto felt his heart begin to race in his chest,

With a wink at Ianto, Jack turned and headed for the invisible lift. Gwen joined him on the stone slab.

Jack activated the lift with a button on his wrist strap, and the lift started to rise.

Ianto stood by the lift, watching it go up. Jack stared at him intently until the lift reached the top.

With a sad sigh, Ianto looked around the empty Hub. He hated being left behind.

"Might as well go back to my cleaning," Ianto muttered, snatching an ear piece from the desks, activating it, and slipping it in his ear.

* * *

The Torchwood SUV screeched to a halt outside of St. David's Hospital.

Jack climbed out of the driver's seat, his military greatcoat flowing behind him majestically in the wind, Gwen was at his side, apprehension sinking into the pit of her stomach,

Since joining Torchwood, she had seen so much death and evil, more than she had ever imagined possible in the world. As a police officer she had seen the occasional death and had gotten a slight taste of the evils of man, but Torchwood didn't often deal with the evils of man, they dealt with far darker forces.

Andy was waiting for them at the front of the hospital, his hands worrying his hat nervously.

"inspector Andy Davidson!" Jack called like he and Andy were old friends – which they were not.

"C-Captain Harkness," Andy stammered as Jack enveloped him in a bear hug.

Gwen hid her snicker behind her hand. Jack truly did flirt with everyone and everything he encountered.

When Jack broke the hug, Andy turned to her, his eyes bulging out of his head dramatically.

"You okay?" Gwen asked, fighting another laugh.

"Is he always so….?" Andy began, shocked.

"Seductive? Yeah. You get used to it," Gwen answered.

Shaking his head, Andy led them into the hospital.

They went down the corridor to the lift, and rode it up to the eighth floor.

"So, Andy, what's going on?" Gwen asked.

"I think it's best if you ask Catrin that, I can't quite wrap my head around it all," Andy replied, watching the floor numbers increase on the elevator display.

"I'm glad it was Gwen that came looking for us and not you," Jack muttered under his breath.

Gwen shot him a dirty look. Andy had been kind enough to inform her of this case. They were lucky that he still even had anything to do with her. They'd done so much good thanks to Andy putting his job on the line for them.

The lift doors opened, and Andy led them down a long corridor to an open room.

"She's in there," he said, white as a sheet.

"Thanks, Andy."

Gwen patted Andy's arm companionably and smiled warmly.

Andy nodded in return.

Gwen and Jack entered the room, Andy hanging back by the door.

In the hospital bed lay a thin girl, anorerxically thin, her dark hair pulled back and clipped up, making her face look even more emaciated. Her eyes were ringed with dark circles, giving them a sunken appearance. Her cheekbones jutted out through her taut skin.

She was hooked up to an IV, and the heart monitor beside her beeped with every beat of her heart.

The sound of their footsteps, the girl opened her eyes and regarded them with fear,

"Hiya," Gwen said with a warm, comforting smile. "Don't be afraid, dear, we're not going to hurt you. We're here to help."

"W-who are you?" the girl asked, her voice weak.

"Torchwood," Jack cut in authoritatively.

"Torch…?"

"We help people like you," Gwen continued. "People who have experienced the unexplainable."

The girl nodded resignedly, falling back against her pillows.

"Your name is Catrin, right? Catrin Foster?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," Catrin replied softly.

"I'm Gwen. Gwen Cooper."

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said without his usual seductive charm. He was all business.

"Catrin, can you tell us what happened to you?" Gwen inquired gently.

Catrin sat up with a struggle. Gwen sat at the foot of the bed and helped her up.

"I-it's all kind of fuzzy," Catrin began.

"That's okay," Gwen soothed. "Anything you can remember will help us."

"I remember…meeting Aeron."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I had something to tell him, but…..I can't remember what…."

"What happened next?" Jack pressed.

"We went for a walk. He-he took me to a sanatorium. We went inside and…."

Catrin cut off, tears springing to her eyes.

"Something murdered him," she sobbed.

Gwen rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

"I-I got away. I ran."

"You were gone for two weeks," Jack informed her.

Catrin's brow knit in confusion.

"Two weeks?" she whispered.

"You don't remember?" Jack asked.

"No. I just remember running for a long time, and then…I woke up here."

Gwen and Jack exchanged silent glances. This was definitely a case for Torchwood.

"I'm feeling knackered." Catrin said quietly.

"We'll let you rest," Gwen replied. "Thanks for you help."

"Rest up," Jack said with a kind smile.

When they were out of the room, Andy shut the door behind them.

An Indian doctor stopped, eying them speculatively.

"Do you know Ms. Foster?' she asked.

"We're Torchwood," Jack said cockily.

Recognition flashed through the doctor's eyes. Apparently she'd heard of Torchwood.

"Who are you?' Jack challenged.

"Dr. Anand. I'm the doctor in charge of Ms. Foster's case," Dr. Anand replied, calmer now.

"Will she be all right?" Gwen asked.

"She was severely starved and dehydrated," Dr. Anand answered. "We've put her on an IV and seems to be recovering nicely. I reckon she'll need extensive psychological help when this is all done. Her delusions are very severe."

"Delusions?" Gwen pressed.

"There is no sanatorium in those woods, not according to any existing records."

"So you think the sanatorium is a manifestation of the trauma of watching her boyfriend get murdered in front of her?" Jack asked.

"Police never found his body," Dr. Anand," confessed. "I'm no mental professional, but I imagine that she's suffered an acute mental breakdown following the miscarriage."

"Miscarriage?' Gwen choked.

"Ms. Foster was pregnant when she was brought it. Not eating or drinking for several weeks robbed the fetus of vital nutrition. Luckily, she miscarried here and not out in the woods. She probably wouldn't have survived that out there."

Gwen choked back a sob. That poor baby, she thought wretchedly.

Dr. Anand's pager went off shrilly, breaking thee uncomfortable silence.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'm needed in the operating theatre."

As Dr. Anand walked away, Andy ushered Jack and Gwen out.

"So?" Andy asked. "Another of your spooky dos, is it?"

"Oh, yeah," Jack replied.

"Thanks, Andy," Gwen said, hugging him.

"Don't mention it.

Gwen and Jack made their way back to the SUV.

"Gwen?" Andy called after her.

Gwen turned back to face him, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Catch whomever or…whatever did this."

Gwen nodded and climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV.

Jack threw the vehicle into drive and sped out of the parking lot.

Gwen dissolved into tears, burying her face in her hands as she wept. The baby! That poor, poor dear! How could something have done something so evil?

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Jack suggested softly.

Gwen nodded, the tears streaming like heavy rainfall, or a broken dam.

"Ianto?' Jack said into his earpiece.

"Sir?" Ianto answered.

"I need you to do a search of those woods. The Cwm Nofydd?"

"Anything in particular?"

'Yeah. Look for anything about a sanatorium. The girl said her boyfriend took her to one before he was murdered. Apparently, there's no record of any sanatoriums near those woods."

"On it, sir."

Jack could hear the sound of Ianto's deft fingers flying over the keyboard. For a second, he was reminded of not too long ago when it would have been Toshiko's fingers pounding away expertly at the keyboard.

A pang of guilt and sadness stabbed Jack deeply in his chest.

He swung the SUV into its parking spot and killed the engine.

"Are you okay to drive yourself home?" he asked Gwen.

"I'll be fine," she replied, sniffling. "I'm sorry I fell apart."

"Don't be. You're human, Gwen, never forget that."

"With days like today I don't think I ever could."

Gwen got out of the SUV and fished her keys out of her purse before getting into her Saab and driving off.

Jack watched the Saab disappear into the distance before heading to Roald Dahl Plass to catch the invisible lift back down to the Hub.

* * *

Ianto was so engrossed in his research that he didn't hear Jack come in until he stepped off of the stone slab of the invisible lift.

"Where's Gwen?" Ianto asked, looking over at Jack.

He looks dashing in that coat, he thought, tapping his fingers on his knee.

"She got a little upset about everything, so I sent her home," Jack replied, slipping his coat off.

"Upset? What the hell happened at the hospital?"

Ianto pivoted in the chair to give Jack his full attention.

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair,

"It wasn't good." He sat down beside Ianto and set his coat on the work desk. "The girl doesn't remember what happened. She had no idea that she was out there for weeks. and she was pregnant."

"Was?"

"She miscarried when she got to the hospital."

"Jesus," Ianto muttered, throwing his arms around Jack instinctively. It felt good to feel Jack so close, and when put his arms around Ianto, he felt safer than he ever had before in his life.

"Gwen couldn't handle it," Jack continued.

"That's understandable," Ianto replied.

Jack broke the hug and kissed Ianto tenderly on the cheek.

"What did you find out about the sanatorium?"

Ianto cleared this throat.

"No records exist of a sanatorium in those woods, not in the genera search anyway. I took it upon myself to access the Torchwood Archives and dig a little deeper."

"Ianto Jones, you are brilliant!" Jack exclaimed, clapping Ianto on the back.

"According to the Archive there was a sanatorium out there that was closed down in 1920 for malpractice. Experiments were being conducted on the patients that were…far from legal."

"Go on," Jack encouraged,

"DNA splicing between humans and Weevils humans and fauna, humans and lizards. Lobotomies without anesthesia, amputation. All sorts of gruesome things."

"How did I not know about this?" Jack wondered.

He had been a member of Torchwood since the Victorian Age. If Torchwood had dealt with this monstrosity, surely he would have remembered?

"We should go check it out," Ianto continued.

"I'll go."

"I'll come with you," Ianto offered, rising.

"No, it's too dangerous."

"Too dangerous?" Ianto scoffed. "Jack, ( work for Torchwood. I'm in dangerous situations every bloody day. Don't get all protective on me now."

"Please, Ianto. For once, just, please, do as I say and stay here."

Ianto sighed with resignation. There really was no point in arguing with Jack.

"What about you?" Ianto said. "You'll be in danger."

"I'm immortal, nothing out there can hurt me."

"You know, one of these days, something will be able to kill you and then what? What will happen to Torchwood? What will happen to me?"

Jack blew air out of his cheeks and crouched down in front of Ianto.

"I appreciate your concern, Ianto, I really do." He reached up and stroked Ianto's cheek affectionately. "I promise I'll come back to you."

'Yeah?" Ianto asked quietly.

"Always."

Jack pulled Ianto into a deep, passionate kiss, twining his hands in Ianto's short brown hair.

"Be here when I get back," Jack murmured, breathless from the kiss.

"Always."

Jack smiled and pulled his coat back on. He glanced back at Ianto and then strode across the main room to the armory.

He equipped himself with a few handguns – besides the Webley he always carried – and some ammunition. He had no idea what he would be facing out in those woods, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. Sure, he was immortal, but he could die temporarily, and honestly, dying hurt like a bitch.

Jack walked back into the main room to find Ianto waiting for him like a dutiful partner.

He really does deserve better than me, Jack thought sadly. He deserves someone who can give him a normal life, who can protect him from the evils of the world, not throw him head first into them.

Ianto caught his eye and smiled an encouraging smile.

"I'll wait here for you, Jack. But you'd better come back."

"I will," Jack assured him.

"You have until nightfall. If you're not back by then I'm coming after you."

"Oh, Ianto Jones, you're sexy when you get dominating. Maybe next time we use the UNIT cap you can be the soldier and I'll be your alien prisoner," Jack teased with a lascivious grin.

"That sounds fantastic," Ianto enthused.

Jack shook his head.

"You're making it hard for me to go, Ianto Jones?"

"Am I?" Ianto asked with fake coquettishness.

"Oh, yeah." Jack licked his lips.

"Maybe you should stay, then, for a bit.'

"That would be bad."

"I like it when you're bad."

Ianto stared up at Jack from under his eyelashes.

"We do have the Hub to ourselves," Jack pondered.

"That we do, Captain Harkness."

"Oooh, Captain Harkness. You really know how to hit all my erogenous zones, Mr. Jones."

"That's my job, Sir."

Jack couldn't fight it anymore and he allowed his greatcoat to fall to the floor.

Ianto reached over and slid the braces from both of Jack's shoulders.

Jack undid Ianto's tie and let it fall to the floor beside his coat.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Jack chuckled, as Ianto started kissing his neck.

"No one's in danger at the moment. An abandoned sanatorium can wait to be explored until you've been sated."

"Who are you and what have you done with Ianto Jones?" Jack teased.

Flashes of his dream cut through Ianto's mind, and he shook his head to clear it.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah, it's…it's nothing," Ianto lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just kiss me, Jack."

Jack happily complied.

* * *

Jack awoke a while later, Ianto tangled in his arms. With a heavy heart, he slipped out from under Ianto and got dressed.

Ianto stirred softly in the bed, but didn't wake,

Jack watched him for a few seconds, wishing that he didn't have to do this, didn't have to put Ianto through the worry and heartache he was about to put him through.

It's the job, he reasoned, buttoning his shirt back up.

With one last glance back at Ianto's sleeping form, Jack exited his room and went back up to the main room of the Hub. He pulled his coat on and made sure that the weapons and ammunition were still in the pockets.

He stood up on the stone slab and activated the invisible lift for the second time that day. Quietly, the slab started to rise and Jack could see the Hub getting smaller and smaller and he rose higher toward the surface of Roald Dahl Plass.

When the lift reached the top, he stood there for a second, watching people going about their day for a few seconds. It if weren't for the perception filter, people would see him popping up from under the street. With the perception filter, they wouldn't notice him until he had stepped down on to the street.

Doing so, he hurried down to the SUV and got in. He turned the key in the ignition and drove off.


	4. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Gwen passed out when she got back to the flat.

She slept hard—she'd needed it. Saving the whole of Wales from alien threats on a weekly – sometimes daily – basis was exhausting, Gwen hadn't had a vacation since she'd gotten married to Rhys.

Night was falling when she finally awoke feeling well rested and much more focused.

Gwen crawled out of bed and stumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, into the kitchen.

Her stomach grumbled magnanimously, startling her. When was the last time that she'd eaten? Breakfast maybe.

I'd better fix something to eat, Gwen thought, opening the cupboards. I can't remember the last time I was home in time to cook for Rhys. He must be living off of bar burgers and takeaway pizzas.

She rummaged around, looking for anything that sounded remotely appetizing. There were boxes and boxes of myriad types of noodles, jars of Marmite, peanut butter, bread – the essentials.

She spotted lasagna noodles in the back of the cupboard. Lasagna sounds gorgeous! Gwen thought, crossing to the refrigerator. She happily spotted some ground beef, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese. There was a bag of shredded mozzarella in the crisper.

Gwen started boiling the noodles, and poured herself a bottle of Pink Moscato wine. It was a rare occasion that she drank anymore. She couldn't very well go around saving the world with a hangover, getting sick out of the SUV window. Just a glass or two will be fine.

She was so engrossed in the task at hand, that she didn't hear Rhys come in until the door shut behind him.

Rhys shuffled into the kitchen cautiously. When he saw her, he stopped.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he demanded jokingly.

"Bad day at work," Gwen replied, handing Rhys a glass of wine.

"Is everything okay?" Rhys frowned in concern.

"Yeah." Gwen sighed. "The case we're dealing with is so bloody gruesome."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gwen stirred the sauce in the pan, chewing her lip.

"Do you remember hearing about that young girl that went missing in the woods a few weeks ago?"

"Vaguely," Rhys replied with a shrug. "I don't really watch the news."

"Well, Andy found her. Jack and I went to see her at the hospital. She doesn't remember being out there for the last few weeks. She doesn't remember being pregnant."

"She's pregnant?" Rhys exclaimed.

"Was."

"Fucking Hell," Rhys muttered, shaking his head sadly.

"All she remembers is meeting her boyfriend and going to some abandoned sanatorium."

"What abandoned sanatorium? There's no sanatorium out in those woods."

"What?"

"I used to play in those woods all the time as a lad. I'd spend hours out there wandering around. I never found anything even remotely resembling a sanatorium."

Gwen frowned, knitting her brows in confusion.

"But she said that's where Aeron got killed."

"Maybe it was a hallucination or something. Trauma?"

"Maybe."

Gwen sipped her wine, tossing ideas around in her head.

Rhys came up behind her and kissed her shoulder tenderly.

"Let's forget about all that shit tonight, yeah?" he suggested, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Sounds good to me," Gwen replied, turning to face him. "I haven't really gotten a chance to be Mrs. Williams since the wedding."

"Mrs. Williams," Rhys said with a goofy grin. "I like the sound of that."

"So do I.'

Gwen smiled up at her husband. He was the reason that she risked her life to save the world. She was trying to make the world a better place for her husband and whatever children they eventually had.

"I love you so much, Rhys Williams."

"I love you too, Gwen Williams."

"Oi, it's still Cooper legally," Gwen riposted.

"Mrs. Williams to me."

"I'll accept that."

Gwen leaned up and brushed her lips against Rhys' softly. It felt so nice to spend some quality time with her husband.

"I need a shower, I stink," Rhys said softly.

"Go wash up," Gwen giggled. "I'll finish dinner."

"You're a fantastic wife!" Rhys called as he walked back to the bedroom.

"You'd better say that!" Gwen called. "Otherwise you'll get arsenic in your lasagna!"

Gwen heard the sound of the shower turning on, and smiled. She missed the days when she and Rhys had just gotten together and their lives revolved around shagging. The shower had been one of her favorite spots to make love.

She took another sip of her wine and put the lasagna into the oven.

Feeling cheeky, she undid her top and let it fall to the floor. She padded back to the bathroom and opened the door.

The air was heavy with steam and Rhys' warbling voice belted out a rendition of an old Abba song.

Gwen quickly slipped out of her clothes and pulled the shower curtain aside.

Rhys whipped around to face her, his hair spiked up with shampoo.

"Have you got room for one more?" Gwen asked huskily.

"Come in."

Rhys' eyes roved down over Gwen's breasts, licking his lips appreciatively.

Gwen stepped into the spray of hot water, slid the curtain shut behind her, and kissed her husband.

* * *

By the time their lovemaking was done, Gwen was properly starving. Thankfully, the lasagna was just about done.

She pulled it out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool, before crossing to the fridge to get the bottle of wine. She filled her glass and set the bottle down on the table.

Rhys came out of the bedroom In a t-shirt and sweatpants, hair all damp and sexy.

"Smells good," he complimented, grabbing plates out of the cupboard.

"Thanks, love."

They sat down at the table, Rhys holding her hand and stroking her knuckles lovingly.

"Hey," Rhys said tenderly.

'What?" Gwen replied.

"I know we haven't gotten a proper chance to talk about all this, but…."

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about having a baby?"

Gwen studied her husband's face for a few seconds before replying. She saw the joy and love shining in his eyes. It was true that Rhys was like an overgrown boy most of the time, but Gwen reckoned that he would make a fantastic dad.

"Gwen?" Rhys urged.

"I'd love to have a baby with you." She smiled adoringly at Rhys. "I don't think the time is right at the moment, but I definitely want to have your child."

"Your job is rather dangerous," Rhys conceded.

"I'd never want to be a stay at home mum, though," Gwen confessed. "I need the excitement in my life."

"I could always quit my job," Rhys offered. "You make enough working for Torchwood that we could get by."

"When the time comes I don't think I'd stay with Torchwood."

"Oh?"

Rhys quirked an eyebrow and took a bite of his lasagna, washing it down with the fruity wine.

"It's too dangerous, Rhys. The last time I would want to do is bring a child into this world and then leave it motherless."

"You have a point there."

"It's dangerous, Torchwood. I still can't believe that we lost Owen and Tosh."

"That was shame. I always liked Tosh."

Gwen shifted in her seat and had another swallow of wine.

'I think we should shelf the whole baby thing for a while, yeah?" she suggested..

"That's probably for the best," Rhys agreed understandingly.

Gwen finished her plate and set it in the sink. She'd do the washing up later. For now, she wanted to give Rhys her full attention.

Rhys put the rest of the lasagna in the fridge and went into the living room. He switched on the television and plopped down onto the couch.

Gwen came in behind him and sat next to him, cuddling up against this warm chest.

Rhys kissed the top of her head and pulled her in closer.

* * *

Jack parked the SUV at the edge of the woods. He pulled it off to the side of the road, and, taking his PDA and assorted weapons with him, locked it. He didn't want anyone breaking into it or stealing it.

He opened up the PDA and looked around at the army of trees before him. In the sky, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, painting the sky a brilliant pink and orange amalgamation. He'd wanted to exploring the woods while the sun was still up, but Ianto had needed him, and he couldn't deny Ianto.

I'm falling in love with him, Jack realized. The last time he'd allowed himself to fall in love had been with his late wife, Lucia, the mother of his daughter, Alice. Jack had lives many lifetimes and loved many species and genders. The loss never got any easier. Lately, he had faced an overwhelming fear that he would lose Ianto. As much as he had tried to keep things with Ianto purely sexual, the sarcastic Welshman had gotten in under the wire and stolen his heart.

Jack pulled his torch out and turned it on. He didn't really need it yet, but darkness was fast approaching and he didn't want to get lost in the woods.

"Ianto," he said, activating his ear piece. Had he been thinking properly, he'd have had Ianto give him the exact coordinates of the sanatorium, but he'd been distracted by Ianto's…finer attributes.

"Jack," Ianto's voice said in his ear.

"Do you still have the information pulled up for the sanatorium?" Jack asked.

"Of course."

"Can you send me the coordinates for the place? It's getting dark out here and I don't want to get lost."

"I should have done that already, I'm sorry."

"No worries, Ianto. We were a little tied up."

"One of us was," Ianto corrected him.

Jack snickered and watched as the PDA lit up with the coordinates for the asylum.

"Thanks, Ianto," he said, starting off in the right direction.

"Jack, be safe," Ianto begged.

"I always am."

"You die on a weekly basis."

"That's just semantics," Jack said with mock severity.

"Jack…"

"I'll be back at the Hub in a few hours, Ianto," Jack promised.

"Okay."

Ianto sighed loud enough for Jack to hear.

"I'll be in touch with you when I find something."

"I'll be waiting."

Jack ended the call and held the torch before him, eyes searching frantically for anything dangerous.

He followed the path for a while, seeing nothing amiss. This isn't so bad, he thought, relaxing slightly.

Suddenly, a heavy fog rolled in, enveloping him in its thickness. He stumbled on a fallen branch, unable to see even a few meters in front of him.

"Great," he muttered, squinting his eyes. "Where is this fog coming from?"

Jack took a few more steps and his heart leapt into his throat as the path ended. He threw his arm out and snagged a tree. His feet dangled over the treacherous pit that was the rest of the path.

He couldn't see how far down it went because of the fog, but he reckoned that had he fallen, he most certainly would've have survived.

Pulling himself back up, Jack started in another direction, glancing briefly down at the PDA. If he kept in this direction he'd be going way out of his way, but it would potentially get him to where he needed to go.

He followed the path for what seemed like forever, before it, too, came to an abrupt end.

"Damn it!" he hissed, slamming his hand down on the ground angrily. This made absolutely no sense. These woods were a tourist attraction, surely the city of Cardiff wouldn't let people wander around out here when they could easily fall to their death?

Jack shone his torch beam to his left and saw what appeared to be an ancient wooden bridge.

What are the chances it will hold my weight? Jack wondered as he made his way toward the bridge.

The fog miraculously lifted, allowing him to see the whole of the bridge. Despite it being ancient and worn , the bridge was firmly secured on both ends. It should hold his weight.

"Anything?" Ianto's voice called in his ear.

Jack started and dropped his torch. It landed on the leaf-strewn ground, its light still shining.

"A little warning next time, Ianto?" Jack suggested, picking up the torch.

"Sorry, Jack. It's been two hours since you last checked in," Ianto said.

"Two hours?"

It surely hadn't felt like two hours to him. Were the woods messing with time somehow, distorting it? Bending reality?

"Two and a half hours to be precise," Ianto informed him.

"I must've just lost track of time," Jack lied, starting across the bridge.

Under his weight, the old wood creaked loudly. The wind blew the planks to and fro, causing Jack to have to grab the rope on the side to steady himself.

"What's that sound?" Ianto asked.

"I'm making my way across an old wooden bridge," Jack replied.

"It sounds like it's about to collapse."

"Yeah, thanks, Ianto," Jack shot back. "Both times I tried to head toward the asylum, the path cut off. I almost fell to my death."

"That sounds dangerous, Jack, you should head back."

"And let this happen to someone else? Not a chance."

"You need back up."

"No, you stay there. I want you safe."

Ianto groaned in frustration.

"You're more of a help to me there," Jack assured him.

"I feel useless.'

"Don't. I need a navigator. These woods are messing with my mind."

"I can see you on the map now," Ianto said. "once you're across the bridge, follow the path around the curve and you'll be there."

Jack was halfway across the bridge, and it was starting to creak more intensely.

His boot went through a plank, dropping him down to his knees.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed.

"What is it, Jack? What happened?" Ianto fretted.

"My foot went through a plank," Jack hissed, yanking his foot up and through the rotted wood.

The force of him pulling his leg through shook the whole bridge. The far end rattled and the rope snapped.

Leaping into action, Jack sprinted the rest of the way and leapt, his fingers catching the damp earth as the rope bridge collapsed behind him.

Grunting with the exertion, Jack pulled himself up, gritting his teeth.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Ianto demanded.

"The bridge collapsed. I barely made it."

"Fuck," Ianto groaned.

"I'm going to keep going. I'm almost there."

"It's after midnight!"

"Time's different out here, Ianto. Something's distorting it."

"Get out of there, Jack!"

"Too late."

Jack switched his ear piece off and continued along the path. It curved around and led through another fog enshrouded clearing.

He tentatively kept going, Webley in one hand, and the torch in the other,

Something snapped off in the distance, and Jack stood stock still, pointing his gun threateningly.

Jack was knocked to the ground violently. As he hit, the air expelled from his lungs, leaving him prone and gasping.

The torch had flown from his hand, but it shone so that he could see his assailant.

Jack's blood turned cold in his veins.

The creature was humanoid in shape, but it's facial features were animalistic. Looks like a Weevil, Jack thought, struggling to get to his feet.

The creature growled at him deep in its throat, its inhuman eyes glowing with bloodlust.

Jack got to his feet, groaning at the new aches in his back.

"You want me for dinner?" Jack taunted.

The creature growled again and sprung at him.

This time, Jack was ready. When the creature was almost to him, he crouched and used his arms to jettison it toward a tree.

The creature hit the tree with a bone crunching thud! and lay still.

Jack wiped blood from his nose and turned to leave.

Suddenly, the creature was on his back, it's sharp teeth tearing at his neck.

Jack used all the strength he possessed to try to hold it back as he lifted the Webley behind him and fired.

The loud firing of the gun left a ringing in his ear. Jack stumbled forward and glanced back at the creature. It was rising again.

Fuck this! Jack thought, running.

He raced through the fog, stumbling over uneven dirt and fallen twigs. Somehow, he managed to keep himself upright.

He ran for his life, not even looking back at his assailant. His heart raced in his chest, thudding loudly in his ears.

Through the fog, Jack saw a shape start to appear. Could that be it? Could that be the asylum?

As he got closer, Jack saw that it was, indeed, an old dilapidated brick building.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, relief setting in. He was almost there. Almost safe.

He could hear the crashes behind him indicating that the Weevil hybrid was still in pursuit.

The fog thinned as the sanatorium loomed before him.

Jack raced up the steps and crashed through the wooden doors, slamming them shut behind himself.

The hybrid rammed into the door, but Jack was strong enough to hold it closed.

It pushed on the door a few more times before loosing a bloodcurdling screech.

Then, it went silent.

Jack stepped away from the door and brandishing his spare torch, he found an old desk. Quickly, he pushed it against the door, barring it shut.

He collapsed onto the floor, panting harder than he could ever remember panting.

This is not at all going as I'd planned he thought, closing his eyes.

The cold of the floor felt nice against his burning skin. He must have been running for a very long time; Jack was in pretty good shape. It took a lot to wind him.

According to his PDA, it was almost four in the morning. He'd been out there for almost twelve hours.

Jack pulled himself to his feet and shone the torch around the room. All he could see was abandoned furniture and decay.

Not sure where to go, he started walking right, Webley still held out warningly.


	5. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

Jack's pulse clamored so plangently that he almost couldn't hear his reverberating footfalls on the tile floors.

The once pristine building had certainly seen better days. The foundation was cracked, the walls were overgrown with mold and fauna, and the roof had collapsed in several places, littering the floor with shingles, dirt, and seeds from whatever indigenous plants pollinated nearby.

He pressed deeper into the rubble, his eyes flickering over every detail. He certainly didn't want anymore surprises.

Jack kicked open each closed door as he passed, making sure every one was clear before moving on to the next. This is definitely going to take awhile, he thought.

After making certain that the first floor was absolutely clear, Jack ascended the metal circular staircase to the second floor. With each step he took, the staircase shook violently, threatening to collapse at any given moment. Jack heaved a sigh of relief when he set foot on solid ground again.

The second floor was almost identical to the first floor – in layout and in condition. Obviously, this place had been abandoned for quite some time. Probably after it was discovered that instead of helping the patients to convalesce, the doctors here were conducting savage experiments on them.

Jack paused outside of a nondescript floor, frowning confusedly. Looking at the door gave him an intense feeling of déjà vu, but he had never been here before, he was certain of that. He'd lived a long time, but his memory was still intact.

Licking his dry lips, he slowly opened the door.

The room looked like all of the others, but something was drawing him in. A small bed rested over by the window, other than that, the room was mostly bare, Skeletal medical equipment rotted near the bed, long out of use.

As Jack's torchlight fell onto the bed he saw that the once white sheets were strained a suspicious copper color – where they weren't stained yellow. Could this be the room that Catrin was talking about? Jack wondered. No. She had mentioned candles and the fact that Aeron had been stabbed in the doorway. If this was that room, there would be, at the very least, blood pooled on the floor. Jack doubted that the killer would take the time to mop it up when the chances of authorities finding this place were already slim to none, anyway.

Looking at the bed made Jack realize how tired he was. I'm definitely not crawling into that bed to sleep, he thought with the disgust.

The chances of him getting out of the asylum and back to the Hun in one piece or a reasonable fashion were not likely. He'd have to bunk down somewhere for the night.

Jack left the room and descended the rickety staircase. Before he slept for the night, he had to secure the basement.

He found the door tucked away in a nondescript corner.

He turned the knob and pulled, but the door didn't budge, not even an inch.

"Great." Jack muttered, steeling himself. This was going to potentially hurt.

Jack twisted the knob again and threw all of his weight – shoulder first – into the door. It groaned loudly, and budged inward a few meters.

He launched himself at the door with all of his strength and was relieved when it swung inward,

He pointed the torch straight down the stairs, hoping to get an idea of what he was about to walk into, but the darkness was too enveloping. Jack could hear the sound of trickling water.

Cautiously, he started descending the stairs, keeping the Webley out. If anything came at him again, he'd put a bullet dead between its eyes.

At the bottom of the stairs, the torchlight showed that the path ahead was submerged in murky water.

Just how I wanted to spend my night, Jack thought wryly. Knee deep in stagnant water. Ianto will have fun getting the stench out of my clothes.

He stepped down into the cold water and scrunched up his face in disgust.

Jack waded through thee sewage, breathing through his mouth so that he wouldn't gag from the smell.

He followed the tunnel around the curve and was relieved to see that the water ended up ahead,

He triumphantly climbed up out of the water and let his coat down so that it nearly brushed the mildewy stone floor.

A short flight of stairs took him to a wooden door.

Jack opened the door and dropped to his knees, retching up the contents of his stomach.

In the lab room, there were several skeletons strewn about, and although all of their flesh was gone, the smell of their decay still clung heavily to the air.

Jack puked until there was nothing left in his stomach but acid, then he dry heaved.

When he finally regained his composure, he pulled his shirt up over his nose and stood up,, continuing on into the room.

The corpses were all secured to their beds. Had they died of starvation, or had they been died from complications resulting from the invasive experimental surgeries that they'd been subjected to?

The door slammed shut behind him, and Jack whirled around, aiming his revolver in the general direction of the door.

This far underground, there was no way he was going to be able to see well - even if it had been daylight outside – the torch was just not sufficient enough, and the building no longer ran on electricity.

"Whoever you are, I'm armed!" Jack called, keeping the Webley aimed toward the exit.

He could hear the faint shuffle of feet, but nothing else.

"I'm a Torchwood operative," he continued. "I am armed and dangerous. I'm not someone you want to play with!"

The figure stepped into the beam of the torch and Jack's blood ran cold.

The person before him greatly resembled Aeron Hughes, Catrin Foster's dead boyfriend: complete with the bloody stab wound in his chest.

"Stop right there!" Jack barked, preparing to open fire.

Aeron stopped and stood there looking at him blankly.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your head!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Aeron said. His voice was hoarse and ethereal, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"I don't know what the hell is going one here, but you're coming with me."

Jack crossed the room and pulled a pair of Torchwood cuffs out of his coat pocket.

He reached out for Aeron's wrist and snatched his hand back when it connected with ice cold flesh.

"What happened to you?" he demanded.

Aeron turned to face him, his eyes heavy with sadness.

Before Aeron could answer Jack's question, the door burst open and a behemoth figure entered.

It was male, with massive muscles. On its head, it wore a steel mask, that covered his face entirely – save his eyes. He carried a pickaxe, which was sharpened to ensure to inflict maximum damage upon its victims.

The Behemoth let loose a deep bellow, and started running toward Jack.

"Run!" Aeron yelled – as much as the wind can yell – and Jack broke away from him. He dove under the Behemoth's legs and rolled across the floor, landing sharply on his hip.

Grimacing, Jack leapt to his feet and ran from the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

A second after the door was closed, the sharp end of the pickaxe sliced through the door, stopping mere meters from his face. In the next instant, the door was shattered to a thousand pieces as the Behemoth launched through it,

Jack fired the Webley, aiming for any bared skin he could find on the monster – namely the neck and arms.

The bullets imbedded themselves in the their target, but the creature didn't even react. Blood poured from the wounds, but it was an inky black color.

"Fuck this!" Jack gasped, turning and bolting back through the tunnel.

He sloshed as fast as he could through the murky water, not caring if he got the disgusting shit on his favorite coat. All that mattered to Jack then was survival.

The stairs leading up to the first floor loomed ahead, and Jack propelled himself up them, determined to make it.

He tore the doors open and was met with the pickaxe square in the center of his forehead.

* * *

Ianto panicked as Jack terminated their call.

"Jack?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Jack?"

He got no answer.

Ianto slammed his palms down on the workstation top. How could Jack be so stupid as to put himself in direct danger and then end the connection so he'd have know idea if Jack was all right or not?

"Selfish twat," Ianto muttered, getting to his feet and pacing the main room of the Hub, What should he do? Call Gwen? No, it was the middle of the night and she deserved break. Should he pack up few guns and himself? It was true that Ianto still hadn't seen much in the way of combat compared to the others, but he was furious. No one hurt his boyfriend and lived to tell about it. Ianto had opened fire upon a Dalek – albeit one frozen by Tosh's time bubble – that had tried getting into the Hub during the stolen Earth fiasco, surely he could brave enough to go look for Jack in the woods?

Just do it, Ianto told himself sternly. Jack would do it for you, no questions asked.

Setting his chin determinedly, Ianto strode into the armory and picked up a standard issue Torchwood handgun. He quickly checked over it to make sure it was in working order before tucking it into the waist of his dress pants. He smiled confidently as he handled the machine gun he'd used on the Dalek. The gun was a favorite of his; it had saved his life so many times and he had come to think of it as a good luck charm almost.

I'm certainly going to need it, he thought, packing ammunition for both guns into the pockets of his black trench coat. Ianto found the weight to be comforting.

He threw a few torches in his pockets as well as grabbed a first aid kit. He had no idea what he was about to face, but Ianto wanted to be ready for anything.

Ianto sat back down at the computer and transferred all of the data to his PDA. If time was odd out there and reality superfluous, he wanted all of the information he could get on the woods, especially since he potentially had no back up.

He made his way up to his car and burned rubber as he sped out his parking spot and onto the main rode.

As Ianto made his way to the woods he let his mind wander. Was Jack okay? Could he survive anything? He'd survived falls, stabbings, electrocutions, poisonings, broken necks, drownings, and gunshots, but Ianto couldn't help but wonder if Jack would come back to life if he was blown up or hacked into several pieces.

Before he knew it, Ianto was parking right beside the Torchwood SUV.

Heart racing, he tore the door open only to see that the vehicle was empty. There was no sign that Jack had been there recently.

Ianto put his hand on the hood and nodded grimly. The engine was cold, it hadn't been on for hours.

Brandishing his PDA, Ianto started into the woods.

Above, the sun was starting to rise in the sky, lighting the path before him.

He followed the Satnav until he came to the point where he'd last spoken to Jack. There had been a rope bridge there from Jack's telling, and yet, as Ianto stared at the path before him, it made no sense. The ground was solid; there was no reason for there to be a bridge.

He continued on and followed the path around the curve.

Soon enough, the sanatorium rose up in the distance, making his heart beat faster with trepidation.

Ianto cautiously made his way up to the building, machine gun loaded and at the ready.

In the light of day, the sanatorium merely looked like an abandoned hospital that had fallen into disrepair. I can only imagine how spooky it looks at nice, Ianto thought, making his way to the front door.

Quickly, he looked down at his watch and saw that it was seven o'clock.

Pay close attention to the time, he told himself, tightening his grip on the gun's stock.

He entered the building and flicked on his torch, fastening it to the barrel of the machine gun with some tape.

The first thing to hit Ianto was the smell. The asylum smelt of sick and decay, mold and mildew, rot. He choked.

Around him, the building lay silent, as if it had not been disturbed for a very long time.

Surely Jack would have found his way there?

He started off down the corridor, his hands sweaty as his nerves shot into overdrive.

Ianto tried each door and found every one to be unlocked. Every single room was empty save for a bed. Some had abandoned medical equipment as well or rubble from the ceiling or other structural damage, but they all remained virtually the same.

He checked out the other end of the hall and found it to be the same as the first.

The second floor was even worse than the first in terms of rubble. Apparently the ceiling had caved in at some point and parts of the floor were blocked off by the debris.

He made his way back to the first floor, relaxing a little. There didn't seem to be anything amiss there. So, where was Jack?

He glanced again around the reception, looking for anything he might have overlooked in his haste.

There!

In the corner of the room, Ianto noticed a door. How he hadn't noticed it before, he wasn't sure, but intuition told him that what he wanted was behind that door.

He opened it slowly and peered down, the torchlight vaguely illuminating the stairs leading down below ground.

Please don't let there be spiders or rats, Ianto thought, taking a deep breath.

He made his way down the steps and stopped at the base. The path ahead was clear, though the rock floor was grown over with algae and mold.

Ianto glanced at his watch. He'd been in the asylum for about an hour.

Why aren't I noticing the time distortion? he wondered. Had Jack gone completely mental? Had he even made it to the woods at all? Why was there no sign at all of the tall American man?

He followed the path as far as it went and saw the oaken door it led to.

Ianto opened the door and found himself in what must have been the director's office.

There was a large wooden desk that was now filthy and water stained. Folders lay scattered al over the room, their contents fanned out in innumerable piles.

This place could use a good cleaning, Ianto thought, crouching to pick up a stack of yellowed papers.

He flipped them over and scanned the pages quickly. It was an admittance form for a Mary Winstead. She'd been admitted with consumption in 1912 and her records show that she had undergone an experimental breathing treatment to clear out her lungs. Whether the treatment had been successful or not, the papers didn't say.

Ianto noticed a bookshelf in the corner, somehow immaculate despite the chaos surrounding it.

His eyes roved over the titles on the spines. All medical books that he didn't recognize. Owen probably would have, had he still been alive.

Ianto stopped as he noticed something peculiar. There was one book amongst the others that didn't fit. While all the others were medically themed, this one had a blank, black spine.

What is that? Ianto wondered.

He stooped and pulled the book out to look at it.

The bookshelf creaked and started to swing inward, spewing dust at Ianto, who coughed and backed away, squinting his eyes against the sudden assault.

After a minute or so, the dust settled and Ianto was able to open his eyes fully.

Through the heavy cobwebs, he could make out a small room, which looked immaculately maintained.

Ianto used the barre of the gun to knock away the massive cobwebs blocking his path. Thankfully, he didn't spot any spiders. They'd probably long since died of starvation.

He entered the small room and flashed the torch around, curious.

Aside from a coat stand with a few dirtied white medical coats, the room held nothing beside rotting boxes.

Ianto reached into one and pulled out another folder. The name written on the label in a tidy feminine script read Ewein Davies.

He opened the folder and skimmed the pages, looking for anything of interest. Apparently, Ewein Davies had been admitted with a rare disease. The doctors had tried several treatments on him, but nothing had worked.

As Ianto flipped the page, he gasped.

There was a detailed drawing of a man whose skin was leaves. The corresponding page detailed how they'd drained Ewein's body of all of its blood and replaced it with chlorophyll before pumping the blood back in.

The blood and chlorophyll had bonded together and Ewein's skin had begun to bloom.

Ianto set the folder aside and rummaged through the box until he found Mary Winstead's.

The more detailed private file described how the surgical staff had removed potions of Mary's brain, trying to override her brain's prewired need for oxygen. The surgeries had been done without anesthesia – Ianto recalled reading about that briefly before Jack had left the Hub.

Ianto dug through the other boxes, skimming each file and storing the useful information for later use.

The last file in the last box made Ianto's stomach turn.

In the same feminine loops as before, was scrawled the familiar name of Jack Harkness.

Ianto shoved the file into his pocket and stood up, shaking his head.

If Jack had been here before he would have said….wouldn't he?

I need to get back to the Hub, Ianto realized.

A quick glance at his watch informed him that he'd been down here for hours. It was past lunch time.

He retraced his steps out of the office, down the tunnel, and up the stairs to the main reception area.

The sun was high in the sky now and the sunlight shone in through the gaps in the roof. Dust swum through the air like dirt particles underwater.

Ianto went out the door and embraced the fresh cool air. He took deep breaths, relishing the clean taste and scent. It had been horrible inside of the sanatorium.

He sprinted back to his car and once inside, he tried calling Jack on the earpiece again.

"Jack, it's Ianto. Can you hear me?" he said, trying to sound calm.

He was met simply by static.

Ianto threw the folder onto his passenger seat and stared out of the car windscreen.

Jack had made it to these woods he was sure of it. He had seen it on the Satnav, However, Jack's experiences in the woods had different greatly from Ianto's. Had jack's encounters somehow been echoed recollections of his time at the sanatorium?

Ianto chewed his lip in contemplation. Nothing about this whole thing was ma king sense.

"Ianto?" a voice said in his ear piece.

Ianto jumped in his seat, heart leaping into his throat.

"Ianto?" the voice came again.

"Gwen," Ianto replied, taking steadying breaths.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Gwen demanded.

"Jack decided to go looking in the woods last night," Ianto dictated. "He wouldn't let me go with him. We stayed in touch via out ear pieces, but something attacked him. What he said didn't make any sense. He was confused, like time was passing differently for him here than it was for me back at the Hub.

"I haven't heard from him since about four in the morning, Gwen. I'm out here now looking for him, but I can't find him."

"That doesn't make any bloody sense, Ianto," Gwen complained.

"I know. I'm heading back to the Hub now, though."

"I'm here now."

"I'll see you in a bit, then.'

Ianto disconnected and started his car, driving back toward Cardiff.

* * *

Back at the sanatorium, the Behemoth watched as the young man with the gun left.

He stepped forward from the shadows and watched the guy walk off into the woods.

He loosened his grip on the pickaxe and scowled. He hated interlopers. If the man came back, he wouldn't be leaving again.


	6. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

Jack gasped and shot up, eyes bulging out in panic.

Where am I? What happened? his mind raced.

The part that Jack detested the most about his inability to properly die wasn't the pain, no, he could handle pain, it was the instinctive panic and confusion upon resurrecting. It didn't help that he was conscious of the time in-between death and resurrection, too. The cold blackness of the limbo that existed after life. No Heaven, no Hell. Just the darkness.

It slowly came back to him and his heart rate began to decrease.

He ran aa hand through his carefully styled hair was mostly intact despite his head being split in half by a pickaxe.

He got up and dusted himself off, taking in his surroundings. He was definitely still in the hospital, but which room he was in, he couldn't say. They all kind of looked the same,

"It's okay," a male voice said from the shadows.

Jack turned to see Aeron Hughes sitting in an old wheelchair. His hands splayed by his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded, his blood pressure rising astronomically as anger seared in his veins. "You led that thing to me. You helped it kill me!"

"No!" Aeron put his hands up conciliatorily. "I tried to keep it distracted so that you could get away, but I wasn't strong enough." He frowned apologetically. "I was never strong enough."

Jack's anger diffused as he took in Aeron's words. Aeron had told him to run, Jack had just assumed that he and the Behemoth were in collusion with each other.

"What are you doing here?" Jack changed the subject. "I thought you were supposed to be dead."

"I did die," Aeron confirmed with a sad smile. "I'll never get to see Catrin again."

"She made it home."

'I helped her out myself, as far as I could go."

Jack put his hand on his hip, waving his hand as he spoke.

"Listen, pal, you're not really making sense. Care to enlighten me? How are you still here if you're dead?"

"I could ask you the same question," Aeron sighed. "I remember bringing Catrin here. I heard something, so I went to investigate. The guy with the pickaxe stabbed me. I remember…" he closed his eyes, "feeling the life leave me. I could feel myself going cold. The next thing I knew I was awake and able to move around…but I'm not alive. I don't need food or water. I don't need to breathe. It doesn't really make any sense, but, it's like, if you die here, your soul or whatever is trapped here."

"Oh, boy," Jack groaned stroking his jawline. He had hoped that this would be a simple open and shut case of sadistic killer loose in Cardiff. He'd never imaged that he'd be tangled in with ghosts and demonic creatures with pickaxes.

"You're trapped here now, too," Aeron continued.

"I doubt that," Jack replied. "I can't die. I'm immortal."

"But…" Aeron frowned confusedly, "I saw you die."

"I can die, but I don't stay dead. It's…a long story."

"So you can leave!?"

Aeron jumped to his feet excitedly and began pacing back and forth across the room.

"I reckon so," Jack told him. "I haven't tried. I was kind of hoping by the time I came back around it would be daylight."

Aeron stopped and regarded him sadly.

"What?" Jack asked lightly. Surely Aeron hadn't just realized how attractive he was.

"It's night for you?" Aeron asked.

"Yeah," Jack answered, glancing out the window into the inky blackness that seemed to swallow the woods entirely. He could barely see the ground,

"You can leave the asylum," Aeron said, "but you won't be ble to make it out of the woods. We're in a different dimension or something here."

"A different dimension…"

Thinking about it, it did make sense to Jack. It would explain the odd differentiation in time between his watch and Ianto back at the Hub, and it would explain how Catrin Foster had been unaware of how long she had been missing.

She got out because she didn't die! Jack realized.

"There was a guy here not too long ago. Tall, wearing a suit. He looked around, but I couldn't get through to him."

A tall guy in a suit? Yes!

"Ianto!" Jack exclaimed.

"Who's Ianto?"

"He's my….partner."

Aeron nodded, apparently not bothered by Jack and Ianto's intimate relationship.

"Before you died, you told me that you were Torchwood. What does that mean?"

"Torchwood is a secret organization existing outside the government and police. It was founded by Queen Victoria in 1879 to protect the Earth from alien invasion."

"Bloody hell! It's real. All that alien nonsense is actually real!?"

"Oh, yeah."

"It makes sense, I reckon. I mean, if ghosts are real, why not aliens?"

Jack's eyes flickered to the door.

"How long do we have until the Behemoth comes back?" he queried.

"He won't bother you now. You're like him. Living dead."

"That thing was alive once?"

"All of the monsters here were alive once. They died here and ow they're trapped here like us."

"You're pretty astute, you know that?" Jack complimented.

Aeron smiled wanly.

"I made friends with one of the ghosts. Her name is Mary. What they did to her was bloody awful."

"That's right, Ianto said that they conducted horrific experiments on the patients here."

"They removed parts of her brain. She died in excruciating pain."

"I can imagine."

"She knows you."

Jack was about to ask Aeron what he meant when the door opened and a pretty blonde girl traipsed in. Part of her head was shaved bald and Jack could see the gaping wound from the attempted partial lobotomy. The wound was livid.

"Hello, Jack," Mary said, her voice wistful like Aeron's.

"How do you know me?" Jack demanded.

Something about Mary seemed familiar to Jack – in the way one can meet a stranger and feel like they've known them their whole life – but there was no way that Jack could have forgotten a woman as beautiful as Mary.

Her round blue eyes stared at him, hurt radiating from within.

"You don't remember me?" she wheezed.

"Sorry, lady, but no. I'd never forget a face as beautiful as yours."

Mary stalked over to Jack and slapped him with a resounding crack!

Jack's hand flew to his cheek, rubbing at the stinging skin.

"What was that for!?" he exclaimed.

"You did it, didn't you!?" she cried, tears welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. "You promised me that you wouldn't do it."

"Do what!?"

Mary threw herself to the floor, her dress spilling out around her dramatically.

"I thought that you loved me! I wasted all of these years waiting for you to return to me," Mary sobbed, her shoulders rising and falling with each onslaught of tears.

"Listen, lady, I'm sorry, but I don't even know who the hell you are…" Jack began.

Mary was on him in a flash and put her hands on either side of his face.

Jack gasped as his mind was flooded with forgotten memories.

* * *

 _1919_

 _Cardiff_

 _Jack entered the asylum, looking about him in wonder._

 _Not many people knew about this place, even fewer knew the ghastly truth about what exactly went on within the basement of the hospital._

 _"Sign in here, please," the admitting nurse said emotionlessly._

 _"Captain Jack Harkness, and you are?" Jack teased, shooting the middle aged nurse his best seductive smile._

 _The nurse's face remained emotionless. Apparently, no one had ever taught her the importance of a good bedside manner._

 _Jack quickly scribbled his signature on the admittance form and tall porter appeared at his side to lead him up to his room._

 _"Nice place, huh?" he asked as they ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor._

 _The porter grunted in response._

 _Apparently, none of the staff here had ever heard of customer service._

 _They went down the corridor to the right and the porter stopped outside of white door with a 13 emblazoned on it._

 _"Lucky thirteen," Jack exclaimed, grinning and rubbing his hands together excitedly._

 _The porter opened the door and walked away._

 _Jack watched him go for a second before noticing a pretty blonde woman a few doors down._

 _Her skin was as pale as milk, but she had the biggest, brightest blue eyes that Jack had ever seen before._

 _"Captain Jack Harkness," he called, flashing the woman his most charming grin._

 _"Mary Winstead," the woman replied with a giggle and a curtsy._

 _"What are you here for?" Jack asked._

 _Mary frowned and put her hand on the back of her neck, suddenly examining her shoes very intensely._

 _"Well?" Jack pressed._

 _"I've got tuberculosis ," she confessed, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _Jack knew that there wouldn't be an antibiotic treatment for tuberculosis until the 1940s..By then, Mary Winstead would long gone._

 _"That's why I'm here. The doctors think that they have a cure."_

 _"Excellent."_

 _"Why are you here?" Mary inquired._

 _Jack smiled sadly._

 _"I can't die," he admitted. "I want to change that."_

 _Mary gasped and her hand flew to her mouth._

 _"Y-you're serious?"_

 _"As a heart attack."_

 _"Do you have any idea how foolish you're being? To give up a gift like that!?"_

 _"Listen, lady, it's not a gift," Jack defended himself. "I can't die, not permanently. I get all the pain of it: the pain of each temporary death and the pain of watching everyone I love die, and yet, I'm still here. I've seen things you couldn't even imagine. Experiences more loss than you could handle, so don't you dare stand there on your soap box and judge me."_

 _Mary nodded, a tear trickling down her cheek._

 _"I'm sorry," she whispered._

 _Jack cleared his throat and changed the subject._

 _"You seem like a fairly ordinary girl. I tell you that I'm unable to die and you don't even bat an eye. Something doesn't seem right here."_

 _"You're not the only one who has seen terrible things," Mary replied coolly._

 _Mary shuffled her feet uncomfortably. Something had happened in her past, but she wasn't' going to be forthcoming with the truth, not yet._

 _"Are you hungry?" Jack asked._

 _"Starving," Mary confessed._

 _"Want to accompany me downstairs? I'm feeling peckish myself."_

 _"Okay"_

 _Mary smiled and slid her arm through Jack's proffered arm. Together, they went down the stairs and Mary showed him how to get to the canteen._

 _Despite the staff's lack of warmth toward everyone, they were more than happy to provide; the pair with food.._

 _"So, Mary Winstead, where are you from?" Jack asked, tucking into his egg salad sandwich and soup._

 _"I was born and raised in Swansea," Mary answered, sipping her water._

 _"You never married?"_

 _Mary flushed scarlet and hid her mouth with her hand._

 _"There was a lad back home that showed interest, but he had an interest with anything in a dress, so I left him."_

 _"Fair enough."_

 _"I was a teacher, back home. I loved it, God, I loved it. I did, more than life."_

 _"Is that where…." Jack trailed off._

 _"Yeah," Mary ate a spoonful of soup. "It was in a rather poor community, and some of the children were left to fend for themselves. It broke my heart."_

 _Jack reached the table and clasped Mary's hand. She flinched at the contact, no longer used to people in close contact with her._

 _"It's okay," Jack assured her. "I can't die, remember?"_

 _"Could you still get it?" she asked._

 _Jack nodded and finished half of his sandwich._

 _"I had it once already in the 1800s."_

 _"The 1800s!?"_

 _"I'm not from this planet," Jack confessed, "or this time. I'm from the fifty-first century."_

 _"Wow."_

 _Mary exhaled loudly, fanning herself._

 _"It's a lot to take in," Jack agreed._

 _"What's it like?"_

 _"What is what like?"_

 _"Dying from this?"_

 _Mary stared at him imploringly. For the first time, Jack saw the fear burning in her eyes._

 _"Not fun," Jack confessed.'_

 _Mary nodded her head sadly._

 _"But I'm not going anywhere," he assured her._

 _"Why would you put yourself at risk?"_

 _Jack raised his eyebrows and, grinning, leaned forward in his seat._

 _"Because you are probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and it would be a shame to let you get away."_

 _"I'm dying, Jack…" Mary said, barely audibly._

 _"If these doctors are as good as they say they are, you'll be back to perfect health in no time," Jack encouraged._

 _"And if they can't cure me?"_

 _"They'll cure you," Jack said with finality._

 _Mary smiled and squeezed Jack's hand tightly._

 _"What will happen then?" she played along._

 _"Then I'll take you on a proper date."_

 _'That sounds wonderful."_

 _"It does, doesn't it?"_

 _"I can't believe that we just met, Jack. I feel like I've known you for so much longer. I've never known a man to have this kind of effect on me."_

 _"I am pretty remarkable."_

 _"And pompous, apparently."_

 _"You'll see," Jack promised her. "I have every reason to be confident."_

 _Mary sputtered and grinned as wide as the Cheshire Cat._

* * *

 _Later that night, Jack was alone in his room, reading in bed when the door crashed open._

 _The tall porter that had escorted him to his room stood in the doorway, looking pissed._

 _"Can I help you?" Jack asked sarcastically._

 _"The doctors will see you tomorrow. Be ready," the porter said._

 _"He speaks!' Jack jested. "It's a miracle! What did the doctor's do? Surgically graft you on a new tongue?"_

 _The porter glared at Jack for a few seconds before slamming the door shut behind him._

 _Jack heard the thunderous footsteps of the porter receding and opened his book back up._

 _A few minutes later, there was a faint knock at his door._

 _"Who is it?" he demanded, irritation settling in. Jack hated being interrupted._

 _"It's Mary."_

 _"Oh, come on in."_

 _Jack was closing his book when Mary pulled the door open and pulled her housecoat more tightly around herself._

 _"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Jack purred._

 _"I heard the porter tell you that you'll be seen by the doctor's tomorrow," Mary answered._

 _"Yeah, I can't wait."_

 _"There's something I should tell you before your first…session."_

 _"Okay…."_

 _Mary sat on the edge of the bed, but faced away from Jack._

 _"Mary, what is it?" Jack asked, putting a hand on her shoulder._

 _"They're…not very gentle. They don't numb you before they experiment on you."_

 _Jack nodded in understanding. He'd done his research before taking a vacation from Torchwood and secretly admitting himself into this hell hole. The truth was, he didn't care about the pain. If they could end his miserable existence, then the pain would be worth it._

 _Jack traced his thumb along Mary's plump bottom lip._

 _"It's kind of you to worry about me, Mary, but I can handle myself."_

 _Mary stood up and held her arms around herself. Based on how thin she was, she had been sick with tuberculosis for awhile. She probably didn't have too much longer before her body wasted away and she died._

 _Jack stood up and walked to her._

 _Mary stared up at him from under her eyelashes, her breath coming hard and heavy._

 _"I'm dying, Jack," she whimpered._

 _"And I can't die," he murmured._

 _He could see the conflict in Mary's big blue eyes. She wanted to kiss him, but she didn't want to risk passing the disease on to him, and she didn't want to be one more loss for him in very long, unnatural life._

 _Without another word, Jack pulled Mary into his arms and crushed his lips against hers._

* * *

Jack started as Mary broke the contact and the vision ended.

"I don't remember that! Why don't I remember that!?" he wondered, frowning in stupefaction.

"You told me one night that if the doctors were unable to cure your…affliction…that you would return to Torchwood."

"I must've taken retcon," Jack muttered, almost to himself. It was the only explanation that made any sense.

"You wanted to forget," Mary soothed.

"Forget what?"

"My death."

A chill shot up Jack's spine at that. A memory of Mary – rail thin, her eyes sunken into her emaciated face, blood staining her white hospital gown – flitted through the corner of his mind like something in his peripheral vision.

'You died here, and now you're soul is trapped here forever."

"Yes," Mary confirmed sadly. "I have been waiting for almost one hundred years for you to return to me, Jack."

"And now I'm here."

"I know this isn't what you wanted: living an eternal night here with me, but if you'll try, I'll do my best to make you happy."

Jack looked up at Mary sadly. He had loved her once –possibly – he'd forgotten that she even existed. Now, here she was again, back in his life, and he couldn't leave her, even if he'd wanted to.

"What's wrong, my love?" Mary inquired, wrapping her arm around his waste.

"This isn't right. What kind of existence is this? Trapped in this shithole til the end of time? There has to be a way to fix this."

"There is only one way to end this existence of ours," Mary alluded.

"What? What is it!?"

"This place has to be destroyed. This sanatorium is a prison for our souls. The immense pain that we each suffered here has trapped our souls in this hellish plane."

"Destroy this place? That's easy! I'll just tell Ianto and Gwen to…"

"They're in a different realm of existence than we are, remember?" Aeron reminded him.

Jack sighed. That certainly complicated things. If he couldn't get in touch with his team, how was he going to let them know that in order to free him all they had to do was demolish the sanatorium? His comms didn't work in this realm and he wasn't exactly ecstatic about the idea of attempting to get out through the woods. If he could even get out of the woods….

"There has to be a way…"

"Did I really never mean anything to you?" Mary asked sadly.

Jack regarded her with sympathy. The poor woman had been through more than enough suffering in her lifetime. He really didn't want to subject her to more.

He traced her bottom lip with his thumb as he had that long ago night.

"Mary, you were everything to me," he assured her. "But this," he waved his arm around at the decomposing building, "this isn't a life. This is true suffering."

Mary started to cry, and Jack enveloped her in his arms.


	7. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Ianto paced back and forth in the Hub, his hand worrying at the back of his neck.

Gwen stood at her desk, arms folded over her bosom as she listened to Ianto ramble on and on.

"It doesn't make any sense! I tracked Jack on the Satnav. It showed that he was there. But where was he?"

"Maybe he found another lead and rushed off to investigate it," Gwen suggested, trying to stay positive.

"He hasn't answered any of my calls. His comms are down."

"Maybe he's undercover."'

"Jack undercover?" Ianto shook his head emphatically. "He sticks out like a sore thumb, Gwen."

"Fair enough."

Gwen chewed her lip, contemplating it all. The last time that Jack had gone missing like this had been when he'd seen the Doctor's TARDIS up on the street. Jack had gone with the Doctor for awhile on an adventure that still made her head hurt to think about too deeply.

"He wasn't at the sanatorium. I checked it top to bottom," Ianto continued.

"Rhys said he used to play in those woods all the time as a kid and that he never saw any sanatorium out there."

Ianto faced Gwen and scrunched his face up in bafflement. It had been so easy to find the building, why was everyone else having such a hard time with it?

"I was there, Gwen."

Gwen held up her hand in surrender.

"Okay, Ianto, you were there. That still doesn't answer the question of where Jack is. I checked for Rift activity, but the Rift has been eerily quiet the last few days."

"It's almost like…."

"What?"

"Like the sanatorium is occupying a space in time that's somehow disconnected from our reality."

"Like another dimension?"

"Or another plane of existence?"

Ianto had never been very good at science or maths. He could grasp the basic concepts, ,but when it came to the actual formulas and everything, he got lost.

"Tosh would be in her element right now," he muttered sadly.

Toshiko had been brilliant with computers and electronic devices; she had been a genius. The Torchwood team hadn't realized just how much they'd relied on her brilliance until she'd died.

"The only other person we know who grasps the vast concept of space and alternate dimensions is Jack…"

Gwen chewed on her fingernail, shaking her head.

"What?" Ianto asked, confused.

"We do know one more person who's traveled through time and space..."

"Martha!"

Dr. Martha Jones had traveled with the Doctor for awhile before returning to her ordinary life on Earth. The Doctor had fast-tracked her certification and put in a good word for her at UNIT – the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. Martha now worked for UNIT in their New York branch as the Medical Director on Project Indigo. Most recently, she'd been working with CERN in Geneva. Before Tosh and Owen had passed away, Martha had helped the Torchwood team out on a mission. She'd become good friends with everyone

Ianto pulled put his mobile and scrolled through his contacts. He was relieved to see that Martha was still in his phone.

"What time is it there in Switzerland?" he wondered aloud as the call went through.

"Erm, they're about an hour ahead, I think," Gwen offered.

Ianto flicked a glance down at his watch. It was quarter past three, so that would make it….quarter past four in Switzerland?

After a few rings, Ianto was about to disconnect when Martha picked up.

"Dr. Martha Jones," Martha answered brightly.

"Oh, Martha, thank God. It's Ianto. Ianto Jones."

"I'm sorry, Ianto. I didn't recognize your number."

"It's not problem."

"How's It going, Ianto?"

"Not well, actually."

"What's wrong?"

"Jack's gone missing."

"Missing as in displaced in time, or missing as in he didn't come in last night and probably went home with someone?"

Ianto inhaled sharply at Martha's joke.

"I'm sorry, Ianto. That wasn't very kind of me," Martha said apologetically.

"It's-it's fine," Ianto lied.

"Tell me," she urged.

"A few weeks ago, a teenaged girl went missing in the woods outside Cardiff. Yesterday, she was found – alive. She said that she had been meeting her boyfriend in the woods and after he'd taken her to an old sanatorium out in the woods, he'd been murdered. Authorities were unable to find the hospital."

"Interesting," Martha hummed, enraptured.

"Jack went to investigate last night. Something attacked him in the woods and he got lost. I was able to locate him and guide him to the asylum via Satnav. That's the last I've heard of him."

"So, the sanatorium is real?"

"It exists in the Torchwood Archives, though information on it is pretty scarce."

"I see."

"I went out to investigate this morning. I found the place – no problem – but Jack was nowhere to be seen. The place was completely abandoned. There wasn't even a sign that Catrin and her boyfriend had been there."

"That's odd. Is there some kind of time flux or something from the Rift affecting the woods?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. When Jack was in the woods he was experiencing time at a different, slower, rate than I was. He also told me he had had to take a rope bridge, I followed his path as closely as I could, and there was no rope bridge that I could see."

"Nothing about this is adding up. There's a sanatorium out in the woods that doesn't exist officially, yet it does. When Jack went out there to investigate, he experienced time displacement and went missing. You went looking for him and everything was perfectly normal, except that Jack is MIA…"

"Exactly," Ianto confirmed.

Gwen tapped her foot as she listened to the conversation – well, Ianto's side of the conversation. She hated not being able to take action. What was the point of working for a badass government agency like Torchwood if they just stood around with their cocks in their hands?

"I wish the Doctor was here," Martha mused. "He's the best person to assist you in a situation like this."

"Jack has his number in his mobile," Ianto said hopefully, realizing that Jack's mobile was with Jack.

"I could try calling him, but I haven't heard from him since the Medusa Cascade incident. I think he needs time."

"Yeah."

Ianto had no idea what Martha was referring to as he and Gwen had spent the entire incident trapped in the Hub by Tosh's time lock – it had kept the Daleks from getting in and killing them, but it had also kept them inside, unable to take part in the action. They had interacted with Jack and the Doctor via the subwave network, and used the power of the Rift to broadcast the SOS call into outer space so that it would –hopefully – be picked up by the TARDIS.

"I could come help you out if you'd like," Martha offered.

"It would be useful," Ianto agreed, "but you're all the way in Switzerland . That's quite a long flight."

"I'm not in Geneva anymore."

"You're not?"

"Relations between CERN and UNIT have been tenuous since Oliver Harrington's betrayal. Plus, I missed England, so I resigned as Medical Director and left UNIT."

"That's…unexpected."

"There were some recent…developments back home anyway."

Ianto recalled that Martha had mentioned her engagement to a pediatrician called Tom Milligan. I hope everything is okay, Ianto thought.

"I was just visiting my family, actually," Martha continued. "To be he honest, though, I could use a break. My mum is driving me mad! Ever since the Year That Never Was, Mum's been treating Leo, Tish, and I like we're made of glass. It's ridiculous."

Once again, Ianto wasn't one hundred percent sure what Martha was referring to. Jack had filled him in a bit on the Year That Never Was, but he still couldn't fully wrap his mind around it.

Apparently, the Doctor's old Time Lord nemesis the Master had integrated himself into London politics and won the election for Prime Minster as Harold Saxon. Once in office, he'd allowed the Earth to be invaded and ravaged by a race known as the Toclafane. After a year of wandering the Earth, spreading word of the Doctor, Martha had used the power of the Archangel Network so that when the surviving people of Earth all collectively thought of the Doctor at the same time, the Doctor had been restored to his former self and was able to set the time line right, making it so the horrible year had never happened. Only the people that had been aboard the Valiant had retained their memories of that nightmare.

"Look. Ianto, I need to go pack a bag and say goodbye to my family. I can be there in about four hours, I reckon."

"Thank you, Martha. …we…appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. See you soon."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Ianto turned to see Gwen regarding him with intense interest.

"Well, it is good news or bad news?" she asked. "You made more faced during that phone call than a pantomime actor. Have you ever considered a job in children's television?"

"Sod off." Ianto feigned disapproval. "It went well, by the way. Martha's on her way."

"Great." Gwen clapped her hands onto her thighs. "She'll be here by tomorrow, then, right?"

"She's not in Geneva, she's in England," Ianto corrected her.

'Oh, thank God." Gwen groaned dramatically. "I didn't know how long I could sit around here doing nothing. I need action."

"Tell me about it, I'm half out of my mind with worry. I haven't even slept."

At that, a gregarious yawn forced its way of Ianto's mouth.

"Why don't you go have a rest?" Gwen suggested softly. "I can do some research on the asylum while you're asleep. By the time you get up, Martha will be here and we can form a plan."

"I shouldn't…" Ianto protested feebly.

"You're no use to Jack exhausted out of your mind," Gwen chastised.

Ianto hated to admit it, but Gwen had a point. The human body could only run for so long without sleep. He'd do more damage by forcing himself to stay away than he'd do If he just had a quick lie down while they waited for Martha to get there.

"Okay," he relented, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I'll go lie down. If anything develops..."

"You'll be the first to know," Gwen replied with a cheeky grin.

"What's that for?" Ianto queried.

"This is a side of you I've not seen before."

"What are you talking about?"

"Taking charge. Being bossy.'

"Yeah, well…my boyfriend has gone missing and my world is slowly collapsing."

"Jack would be proud"

They shared affectionate smiles before Ianto went into Jack's office and down the ladder to his bedroom.

He didn't even bother to get out of his suit. He just laid down on the bed and, inhaling Jack's scent from his pillow, drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Across Cardiff at St. David's hospital, Catrin Foster lay in her hospital bed, her chest rising and falling evenly as she slept. Underneath her eyelids, her eyes flickered rapidly.

Catrin looked at Aeron, the man she loved. Despite his faults, he really was a great guy.

He'd gone through all the trouble of arranging all of these candles and bringing her out here. How had she ever gotten so lucky?

Aeron was on top of her, his weight on his forearms as he kissed her neck, his breath hot on the tender flesh.

"I'm pregnant," she moaned, wrapping her thighs around his slim waist.

Aeron stopped kissing her and paused, looking down at her stone-faced.

"Pregnant?" he asked, blinking in shock.

"About a month, yeah."

Aeron drew his brows together and got off of her, sitting on the edge of the old bed.

"I want to keep it," Catrin said softly. "It's a girl, I think."

"A girl?"

"I reckon so, yeah."

Aeron's face broke out into a beaming smile as he whooped loudly and swept her up into his strong arms.

"Will she be as beautiful as her mother?" he asked, kissing her neck again.

"I'm not beautiful," Catrin replied, blushing puce.

"You, Catrin Foster, are the most beautiful woman in the whole world!" Aeron insisted.

Even though she knew that that wasn't true, Catrin could feel her heart swell. Aeron truly loved her! He really did!

A loud bang out in the distance caused both of them to bolt upright, all passion – temporarily – forgotten.

"I thought you said that we were alone!" Catrin hissed.

"We are. We're suppose to be!" Aeron insisted.

She felt his the mattress rise as his weight was lifted off of it.

Aeron stood and picked up a rusty old pipe that was likely to give him tetanus.

"Stay there," he said quietly, taking a cautionary step forward. His hands held the pipe like it was a cricket bat. Whoever was out there would learn the hard way not to mess with Aeron Hughes or his girls.

When he reached the door, Aeron tightened his grip on the pipe and cast a last, furtive glance over his shoulder at Catrin. Whatever it took, he had to keep Catrin and the baby safe.

Aeron opened the door and leapt into the corridor, swinging the pipe threateningly.

After a few seconds, he shone his torch down both ends of the corridor and lowered the pipe. There was nothing there. It must've been the building settling or a wild animal or something.

"What is it?" Catrin asked quietly. "Aeron?"

"It's nothing, babe. Just the wind."

Aeron turned back to Catrin and walked back into the room.

Before he could close the door behind him, something massive dropped to the floor and a pickaxe stabbed through his chest.

Catrin screamed shrilly as Aeron looked down at the sharp end of the pickaxe jutting out his chest. Blood oozed from the wound with each pump of his heart. He spluttered as his lungs filled with blood.

He dropped to this knees and then to the floor.

Catrin stood as the monster with the pickaxe regarded her from across the room. It sniffed at her and groaned deep in its throat before sprinting from the room.

She rushed to Aeron's side, placing his head in her lap and stroking his damp hair lovingly.

"Aeron!? Aeron, answer me!" she begged, breaking down into tears.

Aeron's eyes shot open and he got to his feet.

Catrin gasped and stood as well, hands at her mouth. How was this happening? How was Aeron still alive?

"Catrin?" Aeron said in wonderment.

"Aeron?"

"How…?" He trailed off and looked about him, frowning in confusion.

"I'll call 999!" Catrin said, reaching in her bag for her mobile.

"Don't bother." Aeron sighed. "This is a dream."

"A dream?"

"I'm dead, Cat."

The truth of his words hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt the wind knocked out of her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. I died saving your life. My life was not in vain,"

"I never got to tell you…"

"You did, here, now. I can feel your dreams."

"Our baby's gone," she cried.

"I know."

"Now every part of you that I had is gone."

"Not every part." He touched her head and placed a hand on her chest, over her steadily beating heart. "I'll always be in here."

"It's not the same!"

"I know, but, it's something, right?"

Aeron's body shook intensely.

"Please, save me, Cat," he said suddenly.

"Save you? How?" she demanded.

The darkness surrounding them started to turn to light and Catrin watched as Aeron was ripped away from her, remaining apart of the darkness.

"Cat!" he yelled, his cry trailing after him.

"Aeron!"

"Save me, Cat! Free my soul!"

* * *

Catrin jolted awake, her body drenched in sweat.

A nurse stood over her, hands on her shoulders.

"You were having a bad dream, dear," the older woman said gently.

"A dream."

That made sense, now. She had had a dream of Aeron's murder, except, he wasn't really dead, and he'd begged her to save him. Begged her to free his soul.

"A bad one, from the look of it," the nurse said, offering her a Styrofoam cup full of cold water.

Yeah."

Catrin drank the cold water gratefully. It felt amazing against her dry, parched throat.

"What did you dream about?"

"My boyfriend being murdered." Her voice shook as it all came back to her. She'd been pregnant. That had been why she'd met Aeron in those woods.

Instinctively, she knew that she was no longer pregnant. Call it a mother's intuition.

With a silent sob, she curled in upon herself – into the fetal position – and cried and screamed until her throat was raw and she felt hollow inside.

The nurse gave her time to grieve, and then injected a sedative into her IV.

"This will help you sleep, dear," she said, her words fuzzy.

"I don't want to sleep," Catrin slurred as the drugs started taking effect.

"It's the best thing for you. You can't heal if you don't get any sleep. It takes the pain away, I promise."

At least I'll be with Aeron, Catrin thought as sleep overtook her once again.


	8. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Aeron opened his eyes, his face a mask of terror.

"What was that about?" Jack asked, staring up at the ceiling in was on his back, resting on the sodden bed in his old room, the bed he'd made love to Mary on.

"What?" Aeron gasped.

"You were over there meditating or whatever and all of a sudden you came back, looking like you'd seen a ghost or something."

Aeron stood up, shaking his head to clear it. What the hell had happened?

Nothing was going on at the asylum, so he'd sat and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep, even though he knew that that was impossible.

In the midst of the darkness, a light had appeared and he'd felt Catrin. He'd connected with Catrin!

He didn't know how it had happened or if he could do it again. But somehow he'd been able to connect to Catrin through her dreams. He'd come so close to telling her how to set his soul – and the souls of the other people trapped there – free, but something had pulled him back, dragged him out of the dream.

His hand grazed his nose and it came away wet. He looked down at the blood in wonder. How was he bleeding? He was basically the walking dead, except that his body wasn't even real. He could float through walls and shit like a ghost.

`"I saw her," he said, wiping the blood on his already stained jeans.

"Saw whom?" Jack asked, rolling over onto his side, resting his head on his hand.

"Catrin."

"Catrin?"

"I don't know how to explain it. I was thinking about her and suddenly there was light, a white light, and suddenly she and I were back here – the night I got killed. It must've been a dream. She was dreaming about. I realized that I could get through the dream to speak to her."

"Did you tell her?" Jack demanded, jumping to his feet. "Did you tell her how to set us free?"

"I tried. I really did, Jack, but something interfered. It yanked me back here against my will."

"Fuck!" Jack shouted, punching the wall angrily.

Pain lanced through his hand, bringing tears to his eyes. Breaking bones always made him devolve back into a child. Luckily, the bones would heal and he'd be back to normal soon. At least, Jack hoped he would be back to normal. He couldn't really test out his immortality here because he was trapped regardless. His soul was deeply entrenched in the roots of the sanatorium. Perhaps he had been cured of his immortality after all - assuming they could get a message to Gwen or Ianto.

"Can you do it again?" he groaned, clasping his broken hand in his normal one.

"I don't know," Aeron confessed.. "I don't really even know how I did it that time."

"Did you love Catrin?"

"Sorry?"

"Did you love Catrin?" Jack repeated, enunciating each word.

"Well, yeah," Aeron said. "I was going to go straight for her, mate."

"You weren't straight before?"

Jack felt his blood alight with lust. Aeron was cute. Not Ianto cute, but cute enough to get his body to respond. He loved Ianto, but if he was going to be trapped in this limbo forever, he definitely wasn't going to pass up sex with someone if it was an option.

"Sexually, yes." Aeron rolled his eyes as Jack. "I mean, I dabbled in drugs, wasn't the most responsible bloke around. I didn't make anything out of myself. I was going to make a change, be a good boyfriend. I'd have been a good dad."

"I'm sorry," Jack said sincerely. It's a shame that Aeron would never get the chance to make that change to see his child.

"It was my own fault. I just wish that she'd told me she was pregnant. I had no idea."

Jack cast his eyes to the floor. This was going to be difficult.

"I saw Catrin in the hospital," he said.

"How was she? How was the baby?"

Aeron rushed across the room and knelt down before Jack, huge eyes staring up at him imploringly.

"Catrin survived. By the time the police found her she was dehydrated, starved. I imagine she was half-dead. The baby…" Jack trailed off, steeling himself. "The baby didn't make it."

Aeron make a choking sound deep in his throat and jumped to his feet. He stalked across the room and punched the wall. Of course, his hand went through the wall – leaving it intact. He bellowed like a wounded animal.

Jack sat in silence for a long time, allowing Aeron to grieve. He could not even begin to imagine the pain that the man was feeling, the regret.

Eventually, Aeron grew silent, and Jack put a comforting hand on his quaking shoulder.

"I am so, so sorry, Aeron," he soothed. "This place has taken so much from so many. It's time we put a stop to it once and for all."

Aeron turned to him, his eyes burning with passion and anger.

"How?" he asked.

"Teach me to do what you did. If I can connect with my team, I can tell them how to set us free."

"You're willing to do that, even though you could possibly not return to your team?"

"I'm willing to take the risk, it's the right thing to do. "

Aeron nodded his appreciation and sat down, cross-legged on the floor. He took a deep, steadying breath.

"You have to completely clear you mind, except for the person you're trying to contact," he broached.

Jack nodded and sat on the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his overactive mind.

Out in the corridor, Mary gasped and fell back against the wall, her hand over her – nonexistent – heart.

Jack wanted to destroy the sanatorium, erasing her existence entirely. She'd waited here all these years for him to return to her. What a fool she'd been. He didn't love her, he never had. All she'd been to him is a convenient shag.

Tears rained down her cheeks as she felt everything she'd known, everything she'd believed crumble like dust.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the Surgeon. Her memory of him was hazy.

He put a hand on her head, and she could feel him trying to share something with her. Warily, she accepted it.

` She cast her mind back to the last day of her life. Finally, after all these years, it was going to be clear to her.

* * *

1920

Cardiff

The experiments continued through Christmas and the New Year. So far, nothing was working for Jack. His days were filled with extreme pain and death, and his nights were spent in Mary's arms.

As the months passed, Mary had begun to waste away. Her skin ha taken on an ashy tone, her eyes becoming ringed with dark circles. Her cheeks became sunken, and her once luminous blonde hair had begun to dull.

She hadn't had any extra weight when Jack had first me her, but as the disease ravaged her body, she'd lost a lot of weight. Jack reckoned that Mary's time was extremely limited. A part of him was surprised when he revived and found her in her room.

He stood over her, holding her cold, bony hand in his warm fleshy one.

Looking at her sickly appearance put a lump in his throat that no amount of swallowing would remove.

Mary cracked an eye open and Jack could see that all of the light that had once burned from within was gone. When she tried to smile, he saw that her gums had retraced and her roting teeth – what was left of them – were overly accentuated.

"Hey," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

'Hey."

Jack forced a smile onto his face. His eyes were heavy with unshed tears.

"Still alive, I see," she rasped.

"Who would dare kill me?" he said jested. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. I am so….so tired. And cold. Very, very cold."

Jack draped another blanket over here and rubbed his hands up and down her rail thin arms, trying to radiate heat for the poor woman.

Mary started to cough, her whole body quivering as it shot throughout her.

Jack snatched up the bedpan and held it before her.

Mary tried to sit up, but failed, far too weak at this point.

He gently helped her up and turned away as she expelled bloody sputum into the bedpan. The smell made his stomach turn, and he choked back rising bile.

Mary fell back against her pillows and groaned deep in her throat. She was in extraordinary pain.

The door creaked open and one of the silent surgeons stepped in, his face hidden behind a rubber mask and goggles.

"Help her!" Jack exclaimed, his tone angry and yet pleading at the same time.

The silent figure stood over Mary as she started to convulse, bloody foam leaking out of her mouth.

"Do something, Goddamn it! Help her!"

Jack grabbed the surgeon's arm tightly, and got in his face.

Cold, emotionless eyes stared back.

The Surgeon snapped his fingers and the tall porter with the evil sneer came into the room, a large needle in his hand.

"What is that? What are you putting in her?" Jack demanded, standing in front of her.

The porter grabbed Jack and tossed him across the room with remarkable – inhuman – strength.

That's not normal, Jack reckoned. They must be experimenting on him, too.

The Surgeon took the needle, which was filled with a red liquid, and injected it into the veins in the crook of Mary's pale arm.

Immediately, she stopped convulsing and fell still.

"Is she….?" Jack began.

The Surgeon turned and left the room wordlessly, his boots heavy on the floor.

The porter grabbed scissors and started to cut away at the matted mess on Mary's head.

Jack watched in silence, his mind alight with possibilities. Maybe they were prepping her for an emergency surgery? But if they were why would they be cutting her hair? Mary had tuberculosis, not a brain tumor.

In Jack's own time, if someone managed to come down with tuberculosis, a lung transplant was performed and the patient was as good as new. However, in 1920 Cardiff, he highly doubted that anything even close could be performed, though he would happily offer up his lungs for it; he'd revive with new ones.

Once Mary's hair was nothing but stubble on one side, the porter dropped the scissors and hefted her slight frame over his broad shoulders.

"Where are you taking her?" Jack inquired, blood burning with anger.

The porter sneered at him, and walked out of the room.

"Is everyone around here mute?" Jack complained, racing off after the porter

They went down the stairs to the ground floor and then through the door and down the steps into the basement.

They made their way down a long stone corridor and then up a flight of stairs to an office.

One of the wall panels was open and inside was the surgeon and an operating table.

The porter set Mary's unconscious form onto the operating table and fastened the leather straps about her tightly.

Jack watched in horror as the surgeon grabbed a scalpel and made an incision on the side of Mary's head.

Blood leaked out of the cut, but the porter was there to dab it away with a – hopefully sterile – cloth.

The Surgeon widened the incision so that it covered all of Mary's forehead, one side of her head, and all of the back.

With sickening squelch, the top of her head was peeled back to reveal her skull.

Jack dropped to his knees and vomited, the bile burning the back of his throat. He coughed and spluttered as he struggled to breath.

"Stop! You'll kill her!" he choked out, his voice weak.

The Surgeon turned and regarded him with steely eyes before nodding to the porter, who came toward Jack with another needle of the same red liquid that had been injected into Mary.

"Stay away from me with that!" Jack yelled, balling his hands into fists.

The porter ducked under Jack's punch and grabbed him by the throat, crushing Jack's windpipe under his inhumanly strong hands.

Jack's eyes bulged out of his head as he fought for air. His heart beat was so loud in his ears that he couldn't even hear his gasping breaths.

He felt a sharp sting on the side of his neck and then suddenly his body wasn't there anymore.

The porter dropped him to the ground and went back to stand beside the surgeon.

Jack lay on the ground, his body completely paralyzed. His eyes were fixed on Mary.

The Surgeon hefted a hammer and a metal spike and Jack's heart shattered into a million pieces. He knew what was coming next.

The spike was placed up against the bone of Mary's skull and the hammer struck down onto it, splitting the bone.

Mary screamed and came to, her body writhing in agony.

The porter put his hand over her mouth as the surgeon continued to hammer away at her skull bone.

Though muffled, Mary's screams were enough to scar Jack for life There was no way he would ever forget what he was seeing and hearing.

Mary stopped moving as her skull was lifted off and her pink brain became exposed.

The Surgeon consulted a book on his equipment tray, his brow furrowed in concentration.

He threw the book back down and put both hands around Mary's brain. He tugged gently, but nothing happened.

Another muffled scream came from Mary, and her feet kicked feebly.

I'm so sorry! Jack thought as the tears fell down his cheeks. Oh, God!

He was forced to watch as the Surgeon jerked on Mary's brain and it came loose to expose the brain stem.

Jack knew enough about anatomy to know that in the brain stem there were breathing control centers.

The truth about what was going on hit him hard. The Surgeon was trying to access the breathing control centers to try to save Mary's life. He wasn't being gentle about – in fact, he was being quite barbaric – but he was trying to save her life…wasn't he?

Brandishing the scalpel once again, the Surgeon lowered the blade to the brain stem and made two quick swipes.

Mary gasped and stopped breathing.

Is she dead? Jack wondered. He had no idea what the Surgeon planned on doing now, but it didn't make any sense to him.

The Surgeon removed his mask – his back to Jack – and mopped sweat from his brow before replacing the mask. He stood back a few steps and tapped his foot impatiently, waiting.

Is he waiting to see if she'll start breathing on her own? Jack thought. If that was the case, that was impossible. Mary was already dead at this point from oxygen deprivation.

After a few more minutes, the surgeon screamed and upturned his tool tray, his fists flying into every available surface. The operation had failed. Mary was dead.

If Jack had had use of his body, he would have killed the Surgeon in vengeance and burned the sanatorium to the ground. Instead, all he could do was lie there as the tears came, unable to even blink them away.

The porter looked forlornly at the Surgeon, obviously upset about the failure of their experiment.

The Surgeon turned and nodded toward Jack savagely.

The porter grabbed the scalpel and staked toward Jack, heartlessly slicing his neck open.

Jack's mind screamed as the life slowly drained out of him.

* * *

Jack revived, bolting up. His eyes scanned the room, taking in his surrounds.

The sanatorium. He was in the sanatorium.

Imagines of Mary, her skull being cracked open assaulted hm. Had it just been a nightmare?

He swung his barefoot off of the bed and stood on the cold floor. It always took him a few minutes to get his balance and everything back.

He shuffled down he hall to Mary's room and started when he saw that her room was empty. There was no sign that she had ever been there at all.

So, it was true, He had witnessed the savage surgery. Oh, Mary.

Jack punched the wall, his hand crunching under the sturdy stone. He cried out, blood dripping from the open wounds.

Biting his lip against the pain, he went down the corridor, knocking on every door as he went past. He had to warn everyone and get them out before they suffered the same fate that Mary had.

All down the corridor, Jack knocked, but he got no reply.

"Please, don't let me be too late! " he gasped, breaking into a run.

He went back down to the first floor, and then farther down into the basement, memory leading him back to the office.

He flung the door open and saw the porter stuffing bodies into an incinerator in the corner.

"You're too late," he hissed, grinning wickedly as he shoved Mary's ravaged body into the flames.

Jack howled in pain and charged at the porter. He knew that it was not a fair fight – the porter was stronger than anything he had ever faced – but he was determined to end the sick fuck.

The porter saw him coming and shook his head, knowing that Jack stood no chance of besting him.

Jack's fist flew out and connected with the porter's face. There was a wet crack! as Jack's good hand shattered.

An evil cackle erupted from the porter, who shifted his focus to Jack.

Jack seized his opportunity and rammed into the porter with all of his might.

The behemoth man lost his balance and tottered, his eyes wide. He stumbled back and landed in the searing flames of the incinerator.

Jack slammed the door shut and barred it as the man screamed shrilly from inside, throwing all of his monumental weight against the door.

It wasn't long before the only sound was the hissing of the flames.

Jack turned to see the Surgeon in the doorway.

They started to move at the same time – the Surgeon bolting and Jack in pursuit.

He used all of the anger and sadness inside of him to propel him along.

Jack dove and snagged the surgeon around the waist, pulling him down. He climbed on top of the man and fastened both hands around his throat.

The Surgeon's dead eyes widened in fear and panic as his air was cut off.

"Now you know how Mary felt!" Jack hissed, pressing harder.

The Surgeon kicked , trying to shift Jack, but he wasn't strong enough. After several minutes, he went limp.

Jack released him and for good measure, snapped the man's neck.

He had failed. He'd lost Mary, all of the other patients had died horrible deaths at the hands of this monster.

In a daze, he got up and left the sanatorium, his feet moving of their own accord.

Somehow, he found his way back to the Torchwood hub, and let himself in.

At this time of night, everyone had gone home, so he wouldn't be disturbed.

He didn't know how to go on with his life now, the guilt of failing so many would wear too heavily on his soul. Suicide wasn't an option, but there was the coward's way out…

Jack poured himself a glass of whiskey and dropped two capsules of Retcon into the amber liquid.

He gave it a minute or two to soak in and then downed the contents of the glass, wincing at the strength of the alcohol.

Normally, Retcon would wipe twenty-four to forty-eight hours from a person's memory –give or take – but two capsules, that was more likely to wipe weeks. He wouldn't remember anything at all about the asylum.

Jack downed glass after glass of whiskey until the room was spinning and the bottle was empty.

* * *

In the present, both Jack and Mary were assaulted with those long ago memories.

Jack rose from his bed and tore out into the corridor, to find it empty. For a second, he'd sworn that he'd felt Mary just outside his door.

As disturbing as the memories were, Jack was grateful to have them back. They explained so much about the messed up situation he was in right now. He had come to the sanatorium to die. Coincidentally, he'd been the only one to make it out alive.

He assumed that the porter was now the Behemoth – big, strong, and nasty. As for the other patients, Jack had not spent enough time with them to know anything about them, nor had he seen any of her monsters aside from the Behemoth. Where were they? Where was the surgeon?

Jack went back to his room to learn how to save them all from this hell.

* * *

Mary opened her eyes and found herself in the belly of the asylum.

The Surgeon stood over her, his eyes almost conveying pity.

Through her tears, Mary saw that he was holding a scalpel in his hand. She didn't trust the sick bastard after what he'd done to her, but she wasn't ready for oblivion yet. She wanted to make Jack Harkness pay for what he'd done to her.

Her chest burning, Mary accepted the scalpel and sliced open her chest, grateful that there was no pain.

Her fingers rooted around inside her chest cavity until she'd found what she had been looking for.

She wrenched her shrunken heart from her chest and regarded it. It was black and withered, like a rotten fruit.

She raised it to her lips and sunk her teeth into it, juicy succulence spilling out. She bit again and again, savoring the blood of the innocent.

A wind seemed to come from nowhere, surrounding her and she felt herself changing. Her hair grew long and silver. Her nails grew to sharp, deadly points. Her pale white skin became gray and shiny. Her teeth elongated so that they were all sharp canines.

She threw her head back and wailed, the sound stretching out infinitesimally.

She was Mary Winstead no longer. Now, she was a banshee.


	9. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gwen stood on the dock, staring unseeingly into the blue waters of Cardiff Bay.

She and Ianto had spent the last few hours brainstorming and had come up with nothing. They were both way out of their depth, and if there was one thing that Gwen Cooper hated, it was being out of her depth.

Ianto had sat down with Jack's casefile, so Gwen had gone out to get some fresh air and wait for Martha.

Her phone jingled, and a smile tugged at the corners of lips when she saw that it was Rhys.

"Hello, Sweetheart," she cooed, wishing for all the world that she were home now with her husband in lieu of facing yet another cataclysm.

"How's it looking?" Rhys queried softly.

Gwen sighed and used the tip of her boot to knock a stray pebble off of the dock. She watched it vanish under the murky depths of the water.

"It's not looking good. I probably won't make it home tonight."

"Jesus."

"I'm sorry, Rhys. Jack is still missing and we have to find him."

` "How do you know that he hasn't just gone swanning off with that Doctor bloke again?"

'Because, it's different this time. It feels different. Jack wouldn't just fuck off on a mission, and he'd certainly tell if he was going to be go away again."

"He didn't last time,' Rhys pointed out.

"That was last time. He got a good talking about that when he got back, believe me. And things are different now. We've lost Owen and Tosh. Jack wouldn't just leave Ianto and I here, at risk. No, something happened to him in those woods. When Ianto was at the asylum, he found a file with Jack's name on it. It was dated 1920."

"What are you lot on about? There is no bloody sanatorium in those woods, Gwen!"

"Rhys, I'm not going to argue with you. This is my job.'

Rhys was silent for a few moments, and Gwen started to suspect that he'd hung up, but she heard his loud sigh.

"I'm sorry," he said softy.

"It's okay."

"I just get worried, is all."

"I understand, and I love you for that, Rhys Williams."

"I miss you. Especially after that great night we had."

Gwen giggled at the memory of the shower fun that she and Rhys had had. It felt good to do normal things, feel like a normal person again.

A darker part, a part that she was wholly ashamed of, was relieved that she hadn't been Gray's victim. She had loved Tosh very much, and her death had taken a huge toll on Gwen, and yet, she was grateful; grateful that she got to go home to her husband, and see her parents, and hunt Weevils.

"It was fun," she agreed, her mind shifting back to her current conversation.

"Come back safely to me, yeah?"

"I'll do my best."

'Sod your bloody best, Gwen. Promise me."

"I promise."

Gwen shuffled her feet guiltily. She couldn't honestly promise that she'd make it out of this alive. That was the thrill and the burden of working for Torchwood.

"I'm going to go have drinks with Banana Boat," Rhys said, changing the subject.

"Have one for me."

"I'll have quite a few for you."

Gwen tried unsuccessfully to hold back a smile. Her husband was still so young at heart. It was refreshing.

"I've got to get back to work. I love you, you big idiot."

"Love you.''

She ended the call, and slid her mobile back into the pocket of her jeans.

"Everything all right?" a familiar voice asked.

Gwen whirled around to see Martha Jones standing behind her, an overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

"Martha!"

The two friends hugged tightly, and for a few moments, the sword dangling over their heads was gone.

"How are you?" Martha asked, grinning broadly.

"I'm all right, how are you?"

Martha blew air out of her lungs, widening her eyes.

"Martha?" Gwen encouraged.

"I haven't told anyone this yet, but, God, I've got to tell somebody," Martha gushed, waving her hands dramatically.

"You're not..?" Gwen's eyes immediately shot to Martha's slim stomach.

"No, I'm not pregnant," Martha assured her with a giggle.

"You and Tom eloped?"

"No."

A dark look came over Martha's beautiful features, a v forming between her furrowed brows.

"Martha, are you okay?"

"I'm seeing someone."

Gwen balked. Martha had always struck her as a good girl, the kind of woman that would never cheat on a partner. Maybe appearances can be deceiving.

"What about Tom?"

Martha sighed and set her bag down on the ground before joining Gwen against the wooden railing of the dock.

'I love Tom, I really do."

"But…?"

"Mickey is so…" she grasped for words. "He's so…right!"

"Mickey?"

"You remember Mickey! Last summer after Earth was returned to its proper place, remember the Doctor dropped Jack and I off?"

"That Mickey!?" Gwen's jaw dropped. "Oh, he was so handsome!"

Martha grinned cheekily.

"How did it start?" Gwen inquired.

"I tried to get him a position at UNIT. I reckoned, anyone who was a friend of the Doctor and knew what Mickey knows about computers and everything was perfect for the job. He didn't like it, though. He said it was too routine for his liking, so he went freelance."

"Is that why you've left UNIT?"

"Partly. The disaster in Geneva played a hand, too. I always wanted to be a doctor, always wanted to help people. I appreciate the opportunities that UNIT offered me, but it just wasn't enough for me. It didn't fulfil my needs."

"That's how I was as a police officer. Something was always missing."

Martha nodded, and stared out at the water. The sun was starting to set and the pink sky was painting the water a beautiful palette of pinks and reds and purples and orange.

` "For the record, I'm not going to judge you for what you're doing with Mickey. When I started working for Torchwood, I had an affair with Owen, God, the sex was like….the Fourth of July."

"But you stopped it?"

"I couldn't bear to ruin what I had with Rhys, and I could tell that it was tearing Tosh up."

"Mickey and I haven't done anything yet," Martha confessed. "But I want to. I think I want to. I didn't realize it at first, but once we started spending more and more time together, it just sort of blossomed."

"Does he know?"

"Mickey knows. He's begging me to leave Tom."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" Martha groaned in exasperation. "I love two men at the same time. I don't want to hurt either one."

"it's/ not an easy situation," Gwen commiserated.

"How ironic that I should fall for Mickey!"

"Oh?"

"When I travelled with the Doctor, I was completely in love with him. He was like no man I'd known before. Brilliant and funny and compassionate. He has a way of making you feel like the most important person in the universe without even trying!"

"You and the Doctor?"

"It was a tragically unrequited love." Martha smiled sadly. "He was in love with this beautiful blonde girl named Rose. They'd traveled together, but he'd lost her. He told me that she'd been trapped in a parallel universe and that he could never see her again."

"That's horrible!"

Gwen wiped a tear away. How awful it must be to be forever separated from the one you love like that!

"While we were together trying to bring the Earth back, Rose turned up. Apparently, Davros's plan was so sinister that its effects tainted not only our world, but every world. The walls between universes and collapsed and she was able to make it through. Apparently, she works for the Torchwood One in her universe. Her mum, Jackie came along, and so did Mickey, her ex."

"No!"

"I am in love with my rival's ex boyfriend."

"Are the Doctor and Rose together?"

"I don't know. I hope so. To be honest, I haven't spoken to him since that day. I've tried phoning him, but he won't ring me back. I assume he and Rose are reunited and poor Donna is playing third wheel."

"If anyone can handle it, Donna can!"

Gwen had never actually met Donna, but from what she'd seen of her via the subwave network and heard from Jack, Donna was force to be reckoned with.

"You know, it's funny," Martha mused with a rueful chuckle, "all the things I've seen and done the last few years…and the thing that perplexes me the most is basic humanity."

"At the end of the day, your humanity is all you have," Gwen soothed. "It's what keeps you fighting."

"The thing is, Mickey gets it! I don't have to lie to him. He's seen it and done it all, too. Tom…Tom is kind and warm and everything I ever wanted in a husband, but he doesn't know the truth. He can't know the truth."

"It's not easy living a lie," Gwen agreed. "I was so relieved when I finally told Rhys the truth. It's a huge weight off of my shoulders. I don't have to lie anymore, and I don't have to feel guilty about lying anymore."

Martha shook her head emphatically to clear it and hefted her bag back up onto her shoulder.

"I could use a break from all this inner turmoil. How about we go save Jack, yeah?"

"Yeah." Gwen smiled warmly and slid a friendly arm around Martha's slim waist,

The two women headed back toward the Hub.

* * *

Ianto closed Jack's file, tears staining his cheeks.

How awful! Everything that Jack had been through...all that pain and all that suffering…all for nothing…

How could Jack have kept a secret from him like that? Jack had never even alluded to longing for oblivion, and he'd certainly never mentioned the sanatorium in the woods. Every time I think he and I are moving forward something hinders us. He knows everything about me; I know almost nothing about him.

He was shaken from his reverie by the cog door rolling aside. Seconds later, Gwen and Martha entered the Hub.

Ianto hurriedly swiped at the tears, hoping that his eyes weren't too red. He didn't want Gwen and Martha to know that he'd been crying.

"Martha!" he called with false alacrity.

"How are you, Ianto?" Martha asked, setting her bag down to hug Ianto tightly.

"I'll be better once we rescue my boyfriend and I can give him a proper talking to."

"Enjoying that UNIT cap I sent you, then?" Martha teased.

"Erm…" Ianto's cheeks lit up scarlet in embarrassment. "It's, erm…yes."

"Glad to hear it."

Martha pulled away from the Hub and looked around, taking it all in. The last time that she'd been summoned to help Torchwood, Toshiko and Owen had still been alive and well. It had been during that mission that Owen had been shot and killed; Jack had brought him back to life with a resurrection gauntlet.

"Is it the same as you remember?" Ianto deadpanned.

"There's a couple of things missing…"

A sad, awkward silence hung over the trio for a few minutes as they all thought of Tosh and Owen.

"So," Gwen broached, clapping her hands, "what did you find out, Ianto?"

Ianto cleared his throat and reigned in his emotions.

"Jack was a patient there from late 1919 until early 1920."

"Why was he there?"

"He…erm…."

"Don't tell me he wanted a longer penis!"

Martha and Gwen chucked over that. Ianto's face looked like a volcano about to erupt at that point.

"He wanted to die," he said simply.

Gwen and Martha's faces fell as the dark truth of Jack's past hit them.

"Oh, my God!" Martha gasped, her hand on her heart.

"He never said," Ianto agreed.

"I'm sorry, Ianto," Gwen said sincerely.

Ianto shook off her condolences. They didn't really matter, anyway. The attempts at a permanent death had all failed.

"They tried everything: burning, shooting, hanging, electrocution, drowning, decapitation, starvation, dehydration, poison—"

"We get the picture," Martha interrupted, holding her stomach like she might vomit. "I'm a doctor and I have seen some pretty disgusting things, but that is too much even for me."

"So, we have an asylum sequestered away in the woods. An asylum where a very strange, very brutal murder just happened, and Jack went missing while investigating it. He also has a history there. That's far too much coincidence," Gwen summed up,

"It's too late to go out and investigate now, but maybe in the morning –" Martha began.

"Wait," Ianto cut in, knitting his brows in concentration.

"Ianto?" Martha pressed.

` "Gwen, when did Catrin say that her boyfriend was murdered?"

"I dunno. It was sometime after dark."

"And when I checked the sanatorium out, it was early morning…" he murmured, his brain buzzing with excitement.

"So, if it is realm that's slightly out of time with ours…" Martha picked up.

"It could be that we have to go there at night. Maybe that's the key to passing over!"

"Ianto, you're brilliant!" Gwen complimented, shooting him a warm smile.

"But we have to be sure," Martha cautioned. "I'm not an expert, but from what the Doctor did teach me, we have to be careful. Once we're in that other time, we could get trapped there."

"Fuck,' Gwen sighed.

This was getting even better as everything unfolded. Not only was their leader missing in action – possibly trapped in some other realm or plane of existence – but if they tried to rescue him, they risked being trapped there, as well? Rhys…

"What choice do we have?" Ianto insisted. "We can't just leave Jack there!"

'Of course not," Martha agreed.

"Look, I understand if you two don't want to take the risk. You both have lives, families that need you. I don't. All I have in my life now is Jack."

Oh, no, mister. You're not going alone." Martha reached into her bag and pulled out some kind of alien pulse rifle. "I didn't come all this way to just sit on the sidelines."

"And you bloody well know that I'm not leaving Jack to suffer." Gwen loaded a bullet into the chamber of her pistol.

Ianto nodded and grabbed his own gun. "Let's get to work, then."

Ianto, Gwen, and Martha were loading up the Ianto's car when footsteps caused them all the whirl around, guns drawn.

"oi, easy you lot!" Rhys exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Rhys!?" Gwen exclaimed. "You bloody idiot! You almost ended up human Swiss cheese!"

She smacked him on the arm as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Rhys whined.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you think I was going to let you go off into those woods alone? You're my bloody wife, Gwen! Where I go, you go!"

She was touched by his loyalty and understanding. She truly was a lucky woman to have landed such a wonderful man.

Gwen pulled Rhys into a deep kiss before climbing into the back of the SUV. "Get in." sh tossed him a gun. "And don't get yourself killed."

"Yes ma'am." Rhys mock saluted.

Ianto threw the car into gear and off, throwing everyone back in their seats.

* * *

Catrin came to, her mind fuzzy from the drugs.

She looked around her hospital room as if seeing it for the first time.

Memories from her dreams came back and she cried out as she saw Aeron being dragged away from her, into the light.

She knew that the night she had been at the sanatorium, he'd been killed, not torn from her toward an ominous light, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was trying to contact her, trying to tell her something.

"I have to go back," she whispered, sitting up.

She ripped the IV out of the back of her hand, crying out as the needle was wrenched free. Blood leaked out, turning her stomach. She stumbled over to a supply cabinet and found some gauze, wrapping it around the wound to staunch the blood.

She got as far as the door before a nurse came in.

"What do you think you're doing?" the nurse demanded, eyes wide in surprise.

"I need to go," Catrin replied firmly.

"You need to get back to bed. You've just suffered massive trauma –"

Catrin grabbed the nurse by her collar and mustering up all her strength, spun her around and threw her into the room. She slammed the door behind her and took off down the hall.


	10. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

Jack sat on his bed, his eyes closed in deep concentration.

He thought about Ianto: his eyes, his nose, his lips, his cute little ears. He thought about the taste of Ianto's mouth and how, when they cuddled, Ianto held onto him tightly. He thought about Ianto's smile and comforting it was to be revived and have Ianto there with him to soothe and protect him.

Ianto…his mind called out, stretching far across the sanatorium, through Cardiff, to the Hub. Ianto….

Jack opened his eyes and sighed in frustration. He'd been trying to contact Gwen and Ianto for ages, but alas, he could not get through to either one of them.

"No luck?" Aeron asked, frowning.

"Nothing," Jack confirmed.

He didn't understand. He'd done exactly as Aeron had instructed him to do. So, why wasn't it working?

"They must not be asleep," he surmised, standing up and pacing the room anxiously.

"that does seem to be the only time it works."

"Because when you dream the walls of reality become malleable. Have you ever dreamt of someone you lost?"

"Sometimes I have dreams about my Gran," Aeron said.

"There you go. She can connect with you when you're asleep because your consciousness isn't confined solely to your body. There are some people who even believe that when you sleep, your soul ascends to different planes or dimensions and that's why our dreams are so random and bizarre."

"That makes sense."

"They must be exhausting themselves trying to figure out what happened to me. I'm extremely pissed about it, but also tremendously flattered."

Aeron rolled his eyes as Jack's huge ego. What was so important about him, anyway?

Jack paused in his pacing and turned to face Aeron again, a stern look on his face.

"Have you seen anyone else here besides myself and Mary?"

"Just the big bloke with the helmet."

"There were other people here, people who died in his place. Why haven't we seen them? They should be here."

"If they died here, their souls are trapped here for eternity," Aeron agreed. "I learned that from Mary."

"They've got to be here somewhere."

"I haven't done much exploring," Aeron confessed.

"The basement was where everything went down all those years ago."

"That would be my first place to look, then."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate the basement?" Jack said.

"I don't blame you. It sounds pretty horrible down there."

"I'm the dashing hero, I may as well play the part."

Jack equipped his Webley. He knew it wouldn't do any good against a cadre of ghosts, but the cool steel was comforting to him.

"I can come with you, if you want me to," Aeron offered helpfully.

"You stay here." Jack ordered. "Keep trying to contact Catrin. The sooner we get the message out there, the sooner this nightmare will be over – for all of us."

Aeron nodded and closed his eyes,

He left his room and went down to the corridor to the stairs, descending them slowly, gun aimed at any potential danger.

At the bottom of the stairs, he rounded the corner and pushed open the door to the basement.

He descended the second flight of stairs and waded through the murky water to the other end of the secret passageway.

His heart thundered in his chest, his mouth dry, and his hands sweaty. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had been so anxious, especially knowing that he couldn't die.

He went up the short set of steps and threw open the door.

The first time that he'd been down there recently, the lab room had been full of decomposing bodies, strapped to hospital beds. This time the corpses were gone, but what was there now was worse.

Jack blanched when he saw a creature of about his height – with leaves and moss completely covering its body from head to toe. The only discernable features on the monster were two red, bloodshot eyes, and a sneering mouth.

At the sound of Jack approaching, the creature turned and regarded him silently, before hissing and vomiting a viscous green fluid out of its mouth.

Jack rolled and avoided getting hit with the green liquid. He looked behind him and saw that it was eating through the stone of the floor.

There was a loud crash at the far end of the room and the meaty slap of bare feet on concrete.

Jack's stomach turned when he saw the creature that had chased him to the sanatorium.

Under the lab lights he could see that it bore a passing resemblance to a Weevil. While Weevils were usually slightly hunched over, wore boiler suits, had brown, hairless skin, and features that looked both simian and canine, this atrocity was something else altogether.

Firstly, it did have hair on its head, a thin patch of black curls. Secondly, it wore a stained white shirt, pants, and braces. Thirdly, it stood taller than Jack, its well muscled arms bursting from under the rags of its shirt. Lastly, its features were an amalgamation of the usual canine/ape juxtaposition and softer, more human features. Its nose was visible, with wide, flared nostrils that suggested that before the DNA splicing, the victim had probably been of African descent.

"Oh, God," he gasped, fighting back the urge to vomit once again.

He recalled Ianto mentioning that amongst the egregious experiments conducted in this clandestine, sequestered sanatorium, human/weevil DNA splicing had been among them.

They probably abducted him because he was black and tortured him, Jack surmised sadly.

"I am so, so sorry," he said, his voice wavering with emotion.

This was all his fault. If he had paid more attention to what was actually going on there instead of being driven by his own selfish desire to end his existence, and been distracted by what was between Mary's legs, then he could have, should have ended this before the horrific acts had been enacted on these poor unfortunate souls.

The monsters – for that's what they truly were now – regarded him coldly, no sign at all that they had understood him or retained any shred of their former humanity.

The human/Weevil hybrid drew back its lips to reveal sharp, white canines. It snarled at him, spittle flying from its treacherous mouth.

"Easy, Cujo. I'm a friend,' Jack said pleadingly. Showing his palm in surrender. To sweeten the deal, he slipped the Webley back into his holster.

The monsters hesitated only a moment before propelling themselves at Jack.

He was knocked to the ground as the Hybrid's razor sharp teeth tore at his flesh, blood squirting out in all directions.

Jack screamed in pain, and as the Hybrid sank his teeth into the tender flesh of his throat, he saw the Surgeon waiting patiently behind the creatures.

The Hybrid tore his throat out and everything went black.

Jack gasped for air, life rushing back into him instantaneously.

It all came back to him in a flash: the monsters in the basement, the reappearance of the silent Surgeon, his death….

He tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't.

He looked down and saw with trepidation that he was fastened to an operating table once again.

The Surgeon stepped into view, his face once more hidden behind the mask.

"Still wearing the mask I see," jack said breezily. "What are you hiding under there anyway? A unibrow? A harelip? A lazy eye? Cross eye?" He gasped dramatically. "I know! It's burn scars, isn't it?"

In answer, the Surgeon stabbed a scalpel through Jack's left hand.

Jack gasped and grit his teeth in pain. This Surgeon bloke was a sadistic fuck!

"Don't like talking about yourself, do you?" Jack soldiered on. "Luckily for both of us, I love talking. I could talk all day long if you'd let me."

Jack's right hand was similarly impaled by a scalpel.

Tears sprang to his eyes, but he forced himself not to cry out. Instead, he laughed. "Is that the best you've got? I've had toothaches more painful than that. You must be losing your touch."

The Surgeon growled deep in his throat and pulled Jack's mouth open. Using a pair of medical tongs, he yanked Jack's tongue taut. Without wasting another moment, the Surgeon took a third scalpel and started sawing at the thick muscles of Jack's tongue.

Jack – unable to restrain himself – screamed and kicked his feet out, the pain too much to bear.

The Surgeon continued to slice through Jack's tongue as though he were slicing through a juicy, meaty steak. Jack's screams seemed to push him on.

With a triumphant tug, he yanked Jack's tongue free. Jack's mouth filled with blood. It was so thick that it was sliding –unwarranted – down his throat.

The pain made him woozy, and the room started to spin and grow dark.

Still, the Surgeon went on.

Satisfied that Jack would no longer talk his ear off, the Surgeon unbuttoned Jack's shirt to expose his bare, muscled chest.

No! Jack screamed silently. No! No! No! No! No! Noooooooooooo!

The Surgeon lowered the blade, and sliced the skin just below Jack's left clavicle. Blood leapt to the surface of the skin, but the Surgeon was undeterred.

He moved the blade down through the skin, stopping between jack's pecs.

Jack's eyes fluttered as the pain started to overtake him.

The Surgeon repeated the cut on the right side of Jack's chest before slicing straight down to jack's stomach – completely a Y incision.

Jack mustered what little strength he had left to toss his body about on the table, trying to free himself from his tormentor.

The Surgeon reached gloved hands down and tore Jack's chest cavity open.

A strangled sob escaped jack's lips, tears gushing out of his eyes now.

With the same callous efficiency, the Surgeon grabbed a hold of jack's rib cage and thrust it open.

Jack was fading fast, the darkness starting to encroach on the edges of his vision.

Over the Surgeon's shoulder, he saw Ianto smiling down at him adoringly.

His lover's heart meting smile seemed to embrace Jack, taking the pain away.

Ianto leaned down and kissed Jack's cheek, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

The Surgeon tore Jack's heart from it's home, and Jack watched the muscle beat a couple of times in the surgeon's hand before the blackness took him once more.

* * *

Jack burst back to life. His lungs ballooned with air, feeling returning to his body.

Immediately he tried to move his tongue, and sighed with relief when he felt it move. His tongue had regenerated along with the rest of his body.

A cursory downward glance confirmed that he was still strapped to the cold surgical table.

The Surgeon stepped into view again, Jack's blood staining his rubber gloves and mask.

Oh, no, not again! he thought as his heart rate increased exponentially. He wasn't sure how much sadistic torture he could suffer at the hands of the maniacal Surgeon. Ianto, Gwen, please….find me! he silently begged.

The Surgeon regarded him with what Jack assumed was fascination.

"We've done this dance before," Jack said. "I always come back."

The Surgeon picked up his scalpel menacingly.

"No, please!" Jack begged. "I'll be quiet. Don't cut my tongue out again, please!" The pain had been more excruciating than Jack could ever have imagined,

The Surgeon hesitated, the scalpel dangling over Jack's mouth threateningly.

"I just have one question."

The Surgeon didn't move, so Jack took that as a sign to continue.

"Why are you doing this?" Jack asked. "You're dead, you know that, right? You don't need to continue your sick experiments. You're trapped here just like everyone else! "

The Surgeon remained silent, but slowly removed his right glove to reveal a withered, clawed hand. It was slightly humanoid, but the flesh was a teal color, purple veins visible under the thin skin.

The hand began to lower toward Jack's face, and he cried out as he felt the cold flesh touch his warm cheek.

Jack screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if something sharp had penetrated his brain

"You requested knowledge," a hoarse voice whispered in his head.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded.

"I have no name."

"What? How don't you have a name?"

"I am not from this primitive planet. I came here through the Rift in time and space."

"Why? Where are you from?"

"My home world is long gone. It was destroyed millennia ago in a great war. It ravaged the cosmos. My wife and children were slaughtered before my eyes. I watched everyone I loved be decimated before my eyes. I am here because the Rift dumped me here."

"Fair enough. Why the experiments?"

"Initially I waned to try to help you apes."

"Help us? You do understand that you're killing us, don't you?"

"I realized that your race is far too primitive for me to help. I enjoy tearing you apart and watching the light go out of your eyes. I like watching you scream and bleed and plead for your lives."

"I'm going to figure out how to stop you!" Jack promised, yanking on his restraints.

"Stop me? Please. Your trapped here just as I am. All you can do with your undying life is bring me satisfaction and provide me with entertainment."

"I have a team out there who will figure out what you've done with me. They're going to be pissed! I'll enjoy watching them destroy your fascist torture chamber."

"I look forward to them trying. Because they're friends of yours, I shall relish their pain even more."

"Sick fuck!" Jack spat.

"My mission on this miserable rock is almost complete. I only require a few more sacrifices."

"And then what?" Jack asked warily.

"Then I can use their pain to rent open the Rift and go on my way. This planet will be torn asunder in the process, but it's an easy sacrifice to make.'

"The Rift is open all the time! If you agree to leave peacefully, my team and I can send you back through it. You can be on your way.'

"And spare this planet? I think not. I shall get much satisfaction in watching your planet burn as mine did."

"Why us?"

"I want you people to suffer the way that I must suffer every day."

"What do you have against us?" Jack asked. "What did we ever do to you?"

"It's not personal, Jack Harkness. I just enjoy human suffering. I enjoy sorrow. I insidiously converted this house of recuperation into a house of sorrow and pain."

"That's nothing to be proud of!"

"I will do whatever must be gone to get back through the Rift.'

"What does it matter now? Your world is gone, you said. There's nothing for you to go back to!"

"Anything is better than this purgatory. I only await the arrival of your precious comrades. Their pain shall deliver me home."

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged, Jack Harkness."

.The Surgeon removed his hand from Jack's cheek and replaced his rubber glove.

"I'm not afraid of you," Jack challenged.

The Surgeon pulled his mask off and Jack turned his head as he puked up bile.

The Surgeon's skin was a sickly gray there. His eyes were black and sunken under a heavy brow. His nose was a gaping hole, as if his nose had rotted off. His mouth was wide and revealed yellow, rotting teeth. His breath smelled of decay.

Jack threw up again, struggling for breath as his muscles contracted against this will, forcing the bile and vomit out of him.

The Surgeon cackled maniacally and replaced his rubber face mask.

"Thanks,' Jack wheezed miserably.

He groaned when he saw the Surgeon grab his scalpel once more. Here comes more pain, he thought angrily.

The Surgeon stabbed the scalpel down into Jack's left eye, wrenching it back and forth.

Jack wallowed in agony, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles were as white as the sheets on his bed.

The Surgeon removed the scalpel, and Jack felt something – blood probably – leaking down from the empty ocular cavity.

"Just kill me," Jack pleaded, admitting defeat. He couldn't bluff his way out of this one.

The Surgeon shook his head balefully and sliced along Jack's hairline.

No! Oh, God, no! Please, no!"

The scalpel sunk into the flesh all the way to his skull bone, before it started to slice around the right side of his head, through the back, and back around the left side.

He felt his scalp being lifted and clenched his jaw as the Surgeon presented his scalp to him as if were a gift.

Unsatisfied with Jack's response, the Surgeon showed him the hammer and sharp spike that he had used to crack open Mary's skull all those years ago. Her blood was still on it, the rust colored stains clearly visible.

Jack closed his eyes. He couldn't watch. It had been horrific enough watching Mary go through the terrible atrocity. At least Ianto would not have to bear witness this time.

Jack thought of his parents – long gone now – and his brother Gray. He still blamed himself for Gray's abduction, and he wished that he had been able to save him. Gray was frozen in the morgue at the Torchwood Hub, so hope was not fully lost

He thought of Tosh and Owen. He'd failed them both tremendously – especially Owen. He'd let Owen get killed at the Pharm, brought him back from the dead with a resurrection gauntlet – only to condemn him to a life as a dead man walking, and then let him be killed again a the power plant. How long would it be before he similarly failed Gwen and Ianto?

Lastly, Jack thought of his daughter. She'd been put into deep cover as a child by her mother, Lucia, and was now called Alice Carter. It had a long time since he'd seen her. The last time they'd spoken, her son, Steven had been very young.

Just a long life full of failure and regrets, Jack thought wrenchingly.

He felt the Surgeon start hammering away at his skull and surrendered himself.


	11. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

Ianto skidded to a halt beside the Torchwood SUV.

Everyone clambered out, guns locked and loaded. Whatever came next, they were going to be prepared.

"Where did you learn to drive?" Martha asked, breathing deeply to quell her hammering pulse.

"Sorry, needs must," Ianto said, checking his PDA.

"God, I've missed this!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"We need a medical officer," Gwen reminded her with a sly smile.

"Mickey is good with computers…."

They started off into the woods, Ianto's eyes glued to this PDA.

A menacing fog enshrouded them, drawing them tighter together. The only way to get through this was if they stuck together.

"Bloody fog!" Rhys complained, squinting his eyes. It was hard enough traversing the woods in the torchlight. With the encompassing fog, it was nigh on impossible.

"It's this way!" Ianto insisted, pushing forward steadily.

Gwen tried her best to take in their surroundings. Something about the woods seemed off to her. She felt as though they were being watched by something, or someone.

"Ianto…" she murmured.

"I feel it, too, Gwen,' he replied, glancing up briefly from his PDA. "The bridge that Jack crossed should be around here."

"I thought you said it collapsed?" Martha reminded him.

"It did, but we don't know if this…" he struggled to find adequate terminology, "pocket dimension is temporally sound or not."

"Sorry, what?" Rhys asked, frowning in consternation.

"This dimension is separate from ours yeah?" Gwen took over.

"Yeah…"

"We reckon it's separated from ours by time.. The murder happened at night, Jack went missing at night. People walk these words during the day and have never had anything spooky happen to them. No one has ever mentioned seeing a sanatorium."

"Sure, yeah."

"What we don't know is if this place is temporally sound. We don't know if time is linear here, or if resets itself, the night repeats itself."

"So, the bridge that collapsed when Jack went over it, it could be there still, or it could be collapsed?" Rhys summed up.

"Exactly. Exciting, isn't it?"

"I could think of a more exciting things," Rhys confessed.

Ianto took a step forward into thin air and slid forward, his heart leaping into his throat.

"Help!" he cried. "Help me!"

The terrain was slanted, and he started to slide down into the abyss.

Martha was right there and grabbed his arm, trying to steady him, Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, and Ianto dangled over a pit of blackness.

"Rhys!" Martha cried, gritting her teeth as she tried to haul Ianto up.

"Fuck!" Gwen hissed, dropping to her knees beside Martha. The two women pulled on one arm, as Rhys took the other.

"It's okay, we've got you mate," Rhys soothed, pulling.

"Please don't let me fall!" Ianto cried, close to tears. There was a gaping wound on his forehead from his fall. Blood leaked from it weakly.

"You won't fall!" Rhys assured him, pulling again with all of his might.

The combined strength of the three was enough to pull Ianto back to safety

He collapsed onto the ground, hyperventilating.

"it's okay, we've got you," Martha said conciliatorily as she checked out his injury.

"Thanks," he panted, struggling to regain his equilibrium.

"No more blindly trudging on," Gwen insisted sternly.

"Yes ma'am."

Gwen picked up a fallen branch and held it like walking stick.

"Okay, we're going to have to find a way across this cavern – without falling in."

Ianto found his PDA in the haze and regarded it for several seconds.

"When I came here before, that bridge wasn't there. It was a normal path through the woods. This…whatever we're in must have properties of its own. That was the straightest path there," he said. "If we go around, we might be able to find another way."

"That certainly wasn't there when I was a boy," Rhys pointed out.

They took off again – slowly – testing the path ahead with the branch. Apparently, the cavern stretched on for quite a while.

They walked for ages, not sure of where they were even going.

"Don't let this turn out to be like The Blair Witch Project," Rhys grumbled.

As he said those words, a cabin appeared through the fog. It looked old and warn, not looked after for many years.

"Was that there when you were a kid?" Gwen asked.

"Not that I remember, no."

"We should go in and have a look," Martha insisted. "It's better than wandering out here til we die."

Ianto threw open the door and panned the room with his gun drawn. He scanned he room quickly for any sign of danger, but saw nothing but a simmering fire in the fireplace.

The cabin was full of books and papers lay scattered everywhere.

The fire in the fireplace had obviously been unattended for quite some time as it was barely burning.

"Clear," Ianto called to the others.

Martha, Gwen, and Rhys entered warily. As she crossed the threshold, Gwen shivered involuntarily.

"It's bloody freezing in here!" she commented, hugging her arms closer to her body.

"I noticed that, too," Martha noted. "This could be the gateway to the other dimension."

"You mean that shit outside wasn't it?" Rhys said.

"Think of it more as a waiting room," Martha suggested. "Now the doctor is ready to see us."

"So, now where?" Ianto asked, looking around.

There didn't seem to be a way out of the cabin. No convenient door. No windows.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Martha replied.

"None of this is making any sense!" Rhys exclaimed, pawing through the books on the bookshelf.

"Welcome to Torchwood," Gwen muttered.

Ianto was racing around the room frantically, desperate for an answer. This didn't make any sense. Okay, so they were now in another dimension, or a pocket universe, or whatever, but that still didn't help them in finding Jack. There had to be more than one way to the asylum than the broken bridge.

His shoe scuffed on the worn rug, and it came to him in a flash.

"The rug!" he exclaimed.

Ianto tugged it out of the way to reveal a trap door.

"Good job, Ianto!" Martha complimented.

"Thanks."

He knelt down and saw that there was a padlock barring the door from opening. He grabbed it and pulled as hard as he could. Veins popped out on his neck, his face grew beet red, and he grit his teeth, willing the lock to break. It didn't.

"Fuck!" he gasped, standing back up.

"Want me to try, mate?" Rhys offered.

"Be my guest."

Rhys got down and yanked on the lock, but again it didn't budge in the slightest.

"What good are you men?" Gwen jested, snickering.

Ianto glanced down at his gun and got an idea.

"Stand back, Rhys!" he ordered.

Rhys didn't need to be told twice, and hurried to stand in front of Gwen protectively.

Ianto checked to make sure that everyone was a decent distance away, and then fired.

The gunshot was deafening in the confined space, and they all clapped their hands over their ears.

The bullet hit the lock and shattered it, before ricocheting and blasting a hole in the wall.

Ianto wrenched the door open and leading the group, descended into the underbelly of the cabin.

In the light of his torch, he could see that the dirt floor was littered with roots and the carcasses of mice and other pestilence. The air was heavy with the smell of dirt and mildew.

Up ahead, there appeared to be a tunnel. Where it led was uncertain, but it was their only option besides retreat, and Ianto was not going to fail Jack again.

"This way!" he ordered, hoping that he sounded more confident that he actually was. Taking charge was Jack's forte, and when Jack was incapacitated, Gwen took on the role as leader; Ianto wasn't going to ride shotgun on this one, not when his boyfriend's life (lives?) hung in the balance.

They jogged along at a steady pace, careful to keep the torches constantly aglow and lighting the way. The last thing they needed was for someone to fall and sprain or break an ankle. It helped that Martha was a doctor, but still, they needed all the help they could get on this mission, and leaving someone behind was not an option.

The tunnel stretched on and on , twisting and turning like a snake. The purpose of the tunnel was unclear, but if it got them to the asylum, then so be it.

Up ahead, the tunnel came to an abrupt end, and a set of wooden stairs led up into the unknown.

Not waiting for confirmation from the others, Ianto ascended the short flight of stairs and threw open the wooden doors.

Fresh air filled his lungs and he heaved a sigh of relief. He took a few grateful breaths.

They were back in the woods, but a quick glance at this PDA showed him that they were very near to the sanatorium, Also, it displayed the time as 3:45. They had a few more hours of the altered time to get Jack before sun rose and reality warped back to normal.

Martha caught up to Ianto and matched pace with him.

"You're doing really well," she told him with a warm smile.

"I'm sorry?" Ianto knit his brow.

"Leading. You come off as a shy, reserved, outsider, but you're more than you give yourself credit for."

"Desperate times, I suppose," Ianto replied awkwardly, blushing.

"Jack would be proud."

Ianto met Martha's eyes and smiled. He had come a long way from the person he'd been as a child. When he talked about his childhood, he lied and told them he and his dad had had a great relationship, but the truth was, his dad had often been very cruel to him. It had been hard, his father constantly berating him and telling how worthless he was,

The fog was lighter here, and around the bend, they could make out the shape of the sanatorium.

"Bloody hell!" Rhys gasped. "It is real after all!"

"Told you," Gwen jested.

They advanced toward the dilapidated structure cautiously. If there was something inside that was killing people, they didn't want go wandering around carelessly and end up skewered.

The sound of a twig snapping behind them caused the team to whip around, guns and torches high.

Their torchlight illuminated a Weevil creature, slaver dripping from its mouth.

"Run!" Gwen cried.

The Weevil growled low in its throat and charged toward them.

They rushed toward the sanatorium, adrenaline burning through their veins.

Ianto and Martha were the first to reach the door. Ianto pushed the door, but it didn't budge, He and Martha exchanged wide-eyed, worried glances.

The Weevil propelled itself at them on its back legs, like a missile.

Ianto and Martha dove to the side as the Weevil soared toward them. It crashed into the door with a wet slap!

Before it could get back to its feet, Martha and Ianto took off around the side of the building, Gwen and Rhys going round the other side.

There had to be a way inside besides the front door. His eyes scanned the brick structure, looking a way, any way in.

They rounded the corner and bumped into Gwen and Rhys, who were both breathing heavily.

"Down!" Gwen cried, pointing to a set of bilco doors.

They opened the doors and rushed down the old wooden steps, slamming the doors shut behind them firmly.

Brushing cobwebs aside, Ianto shone his torch around the room, trying to ascertain where they were.

The basement was cold and damp, with fetid water rising up over their shoes.

To the left was a flight of stairs leading up..

The team ascended the stairs and walked through to the reception area of the asylum.

It looked much the same as it had the last time that Ianto had been there, except much, much darker. There was no sunlight streaming through the holes in the walls and ceiling to illuminate their path this time.

Gwen spotted the front door and the mess of a desk keeping it from opening. She strode over and pushed it aside, opening the door a crack.

The Weevil's clawed hand shot through the gap, missing her face by mere centimeters.

"Gwen!"

Rhys rushed to her side, throwing his bulky weight against the door. It slammed shut, severing the hand of the Weevil.

It bounced off of the floor, before it lay there, twitching eerily.

Gwen stalked over and stomped on it with the heel of her boot. The hand crumbled with a satisfying crunch!

"That thing is still out there, and it is pissed!" she declared. "Let's hope it doesn't find a way in here."

"Or that it won't be outside waiting for us when we go," Martha added, pulling a disgusted face.

Any further commentary was cut short by the sound of Jack's bloodcurdling scream.

"Jack!" Ianto cried.

"Where is it coming from?' Rhys asked looking around.

"It sounds like it's coming from the basement," Gwen replied darkly.

Going to the basement was dangerous. If they were overwhelmed down there, there was no room for them to spread out. They would be confined and in a strange environment.

"I'm going," Ianto announced.

"Ianto, wait!" Gwen called. "We have to be careful. We can't just go rushing in half cocked. I know you love Jack, and you can't bear to hear him in pain, but how do we even know it is Jack? Hm? This place has been messing with our heads from the start.'

"If it was Rhys screaming, would you take that chance?" Ianto challenged.

Gwen sighed and looked at her husband. She often didn't involve him in the goings on at Torchwood because the thought of losing him was too great. She had lost him once, and it had torn her heart apart. Had time not been reset, he wouldn't be here, now.

"Let the boy go, Gwen," Rhys coaxed her. "He has every right to make his own decision."

Ianto nodded his thanks at Rhys and took off for the stairs again. He sped down them.

He sloshed as quickly as he could through the water, his heart in his throat.

"Jack!" he called, close to tears. 'Jack!?"

"Ianto!?" Jack screamed.

"I'm here, Jack!"

"No, Ianto! Go! Get outta here!"

"No!"

Ianto climbed the stairs at the end of the path and threw open the doors to the study.

He lowered his gun when he saw Jack lying prone on an examination table.

"Jack!?" Tears sprang to Ianto's eyes as he took in the sight of his lover. Jack was pale as a ghost, and blood stained his chin from some unknown assault. His shirt was open, revealing bare chest, except there was a great gash down his chest, exposing the muscle underneath.

"Go," Jack begged, his eyes pleading.

"I am not leaving you!" Ianto said firmly. "I'm going to get you out of here, just relax."

"No." Jack tried to sit up, and cried out as the pain lanced through his body.

"Sit still!" Ianto ordered.

"You have to go! If he sees you, he'll kill you!"

"I have a gun." Ianto raised his right hand, showing Jack his pistol.

"Guns won't work on him. He can't be killed, but you can! He needs two more sacrifices and he'll be able to collapse the walls between dimensions. This hell will be unleashed upon the Earth!"

"Let me get you out of these, and we'll take care of it, yeah?" Ianto tried to keep his voice steady and calm as he tugged at the restraints.

"If he kills you here, you'll be trapped here forever!" Jack warned.

"Stuck here with you? I can think of worse ways to spend eternity," Ianto assured him, pulling the first strap free.

"Please tell me you came alone."

"Nah, I got the whole gang back together. Gwen, Rhys, Martha –"

"Martha!? You got Martha involved!" Jack pulled against his restraints. "I'm gonna have to have a talk with her. No more helping Torchwood out without my consent."

"You weren't exactly around to give your consent." Ianto reminded him, pulling the second strap free. Now all that remained was Jack's feet.

"Don't you people ever sleep? I've been trying to contact you!"

"We've been working round the clock to rescue you, sir." Ianto said the last part with utter sarcasm. How ungrateful!

Ianto freed Jack's legs and helped Jack – slowly – to a sitting position.

"You could use a bath," he commented, wrinkling his nose against the onslaught of body odor and bad breath wafting off of Jack.

'I've been busy," Jack snapped. "I'm not exactly corporeal right now anyway."

What? Jack was not making any sense. Maybe he was suffering from starvation or something.

"Just relax, Jack. We'll get you back to the Hub and sort everything out, I promise. I think I can find the way back out of the woods…"

Jack's eyes widened as, behind Ianto, he saw the Surgeon appear. At his side, the Behemoth raised his pickax high, ready to charge at Ianto and bury the weapon deep into his back.

"Ianto!" Jack cried.

The Behemoth started toward Ianto, raising the pickaxe higher and higher.

Ianto turned around and gasped as he saw his life flash before his eyes.


	12. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ianto dove out of the way, the pickaxe embedding itself into the foot of the examination table,

Eyes wide, he struggled to his feet, gun drawn. He fired two shots into the muscular creature, but they seemed to have little effect. What the hell is going on!?

Truthfully, he had not been listening to Jack's insane ramblings as he'd tried to free his boyfriend from his restraints. He remembered something about ghosts or if he died in the asylum he'd be trapped there forever, maybe?

"Come on!" Jack hissed, grabbing Ianto's arm and hauling him away as the Behemoth struggled to free his pickaxe from the bed,

Jack and Ianto tore through the room, adrenaline coursing through their veins,.

"Where is he?" Jack cried, looking about worriedly.

"Where's whom?" Ianto asked, confused.

"The Surgeon! He was right behind you, next to Behemoth."

"Hopefully he's near. You need to be stitched up."

"No, he's the bad guy! He's the one that performed all of those insidious experiments!"

They were sloshing through the water now, Jack leaning on Ianto for support. He was weak and the open, festering wound on his chest looked like it needed immediate medical attention, Thank God we brought Martha! Ianto thought.

He glanced back over his shoulder to see if the Behemoth was following them. Surprisingly, he wasn't.

The stairs leading back up to reception were nearing and Ianto could feel himself relaxing. Once they got back to the rest of the team, they could formulate a plan and put a stop to this insanity before anyone else got hurt.

Ianto was just stepping up to the first stair when Jack howled in pain and went limp.

He whirled around to see the Surgeon standing behind them, a bloody scalpel gleaming in his hand.

The Surgeon regarded Ianto silently, weighing him up. The man had been through his own share of pain in his life, especially in the last few years. His pain cried out to the Surgeon, feeding him making him stronger,

Ianto pointed his gun at the Surgeon menacingly.

"You can't kill him," Jack groaned, lying prostrate on the floor. Ianto hadn't had time to properly assess the damage the scalpel had done to him yet.

"So, if you need me for something, yeah?" Ianto queried the Surgeon. He got no answer.

"Please, Ianto, just go back to the team Get out of here!" Jack begged.

"Oh, no, jack. I'm not leaving you. Either we all leave together, or you and I stay. I'm not leaving you here."

"You're such an idiot!" Jack screamed, desperate to get Ianto out of harm's way.

Ianto rolled his eyes at Jack and turned the barrel of the gun so that it as aimed at his own head.

''Ianto!? What are you doing!?" Jack exclaimed, trying to pull himself up. He was having no luck.

"My guess is, he wants me for something. If I kill myself I won't be of any use to him.'

"Don't you dare!"'

Ianto turned to the Surgeon, his eyes gleaming wickedly.

"It's your call. You can go back to your torture chamber and let us be, or I can splatter my brains all over this tunnel and you'll never get your hands on me."

The Surgeon hissed at Ianto and faded into thin air.

Ianto heaved a sigh of relief and lowered his gun. Suicide had never really appealed to him. Sure, he'd thought about it after losing Lisa, but he had not been in his right mind then. He had been sick with grief and anything was better than the emptiness and pain, then.

He looked down at Jack, lying on the floor. They needed to get back to the team before the Behemoth decided to massacre them.

"Come on, up you go," he said, leaning down and trying to help Jack back to his feet.

Jack didn't respond, not bodily.

"Come on, Jack, get up," Ianto chided.

"I can't move, Ianto," Jack replied.

"What do you mean you can't move?"

"I think the Surgeon severed something when he stabbed me."

Ianto watched as Jack tried to use his upper body strength to lift himself up. There was nothing going on below his mid-back. Not so much as a leg twitch.

"I'll drag you up the stairs if I have to. I think I saw a wheelchair out in the lobby."

"Ianto." Jack said grimly.

"I'll go get Martha. She'll sort it out. She's a doctor…"

"I'm not gonna get better."

Ianto shook his head emphatically, unwilling to accept the truth.

"You'll be fine. Let's just—"

"A severed spine isn't something that can heal like a broken bone. This is for life," Jack said.

"But you heal yourself all the time. I've seen it. Bullet wounds and things…"

"The only way I can heal from this is to die."

Ianto felt as though he'd been punched in the stomach. He felt the air expel from his lungs and the world around him spun a bit, nausea burned at his gut.

"What are you saying?" he managed.

Jack looked up at him with pleading blue eyes.

"Kill me, Ianto."

"Kill you? Jack, I can't—"

"Yes, you can, it's all right. I'll come back, you know that."

"I know, but still…I can't kill you."

"You have to!" Jack insisted.

"I won't."

"You either do it, Ianto, or I will drag myself back down to the water and I will drown myself."

Ianto choked back a sob. How could he kill Jack? How could he kill his best friend? His boss? His lover?

"Could you?" he asked. It came out as garbled mess. "if it was me, could you kill me?"

"If it meant saving you from suffering, Ianto Jones, I would absolutely kill you."

Ianto's lip trembled as the tears cascaded down his cheeks. What a position to be in.

"I promise, I won't feel it. Just shoot me in the head. I'll feel nothing and then in an hour or so I'll be as good as new."

Ianto raised his gun, his hand shaking as he aimed it at his lover's head.

"Please don't make me do this," he implored, sobbing.

"Ianto, it's the only way."

Ianto knew that Jack was right and still….it hurt too much. How could he live with himself if he went through with it? Lisa had died because of his foolish actions, and he still had not forgiven himself for that. Even though Jack would come back to life, it was still an unbearable feeling, to know you'd killed our loved one.

"Do it!" Jack shouted angrily.

Ianto squeezed the trigger. The bullet tore through Jack's head, and his face fell to the floor, motionless.

A strangled sob tore from Ianto, like a grieving animal.

He heard the door above him open and he sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs.

"Ianto?" Gwen said. "What-?"

She took in the site of Jack's dead body, and stifled a gasp with her hand.

"He made me," Ianto said flatly.

"I know, sweetheart, come on."

Gwen ushered Ianto gently up the stairs, rubbing his back soothingly.

Martha and Rhys rushed to her side when they saw the blood stains on Ianto's face and neck and the glazed, shocked look in his eyes.

"What happened?" Martha asked, doctor mode taking over.

"I found him at the foot of the stairs. Jack was dead at his feet."

"Ianto? Can you hear me?" Martha asked.

Ianto nodded slowly, sniffling.

"Ianto, I need you to tell me what happened, okay?"

"He died."

"Jack?"

"The Surgeon paralyzed him. He said it was the only way to make it better."

Martha didn't know the full extent of Jack's regenerative abilities, but she concurred with what Ianto had said.

"Keep him talking," she ordered Gwen and Rhys.

"Where are you going?" Rhys asked.

"To check on Jack."

"He's dead," Gwen assured her.

"We still need to get him up here," Martha countered.

"I'll help you," Rhys offered.

Martha nodded her thanks and started down the stairs. She noticed that with each step down, her sense of fear and dread increased exponentially. The source of some evil was down in the basement.

As Gwen had said, at the base of the stairs lay Jack's dead body. The back of his head had been blown out, exposing what remained of his brains and skull. Martha swallowed bile and looked at his back. The knife wound was level with the sixth and seventh vertebrae. Obviously the spinal cord had been injured, resulting in the paralysis.

"What's your prognosis, Doctor Jones?" Rhys asked.

"Jack's sixth and seventh vertebrae were damaged. He was paralyzed"

"Poor sod,' Rhys muttered.

"Poor Ianto. I can't imagine having to kill someone I love."

"I couldn't do it."

"Lets him upstairs. When he comes back, we don't want him coming to down in this filth."

Together, they hefted Jack up and between the two of them, they half dragged,, half carried him up the stairs.

They laid him down on the rug in the corner, both panting heavily from the exertion.

Ianto wen to sit at Jack's head, tenderly pushing stray strands of hair from Jack's forehead.

Suddenly, Jack gasped, eyes wide, and sat up.

Ianto fell back, surprised. Usually it took Jack ages to come back.

"Ianto?" Jack called.

"I'm here!" Ianto threw himself at Jack, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

"It's okay." Jack caressed Ianto's hair lovingly. "I'm okay now."

Jack looked around at the other three people of the room. Gwen looked pissed off, and Rhys and Martha looked winded.

"Well, that was some rescue you lot planned," he said to them.

"What choice did we have, Jack?" Gwen argued. "You went missing We've been trying to figure out what happened to you for days."

"If you'd all just stayed put, it would've been fine. I figured out a way to contact you guys through your dreams…except none of you slept."

"We were working our arses off trying to rescue you!"

"It's too dangerous for you here. I need you to leave. Go back to the Hub and rest. In the morning, come back and destroy this place."

"What are you talking about, Jack?"

Jack sighed heavily before launching into his story.

"Years ago, I came here because I wanted to die. I had heard that there were a team of special surgeons here that were trying to cure the most incurable cases. Tuberculosis, skin conditions, blindness, you name it. I found out that there was only one Surgeon, and that he wasn't really trying to help. He killed a…a friend of mine. I killed him and his accomplice, and Retconned myself so I wouldn't have to live with the guilt.

Since I've been here I've learned quite a bit about the mysterious Surgeon. He's not from this planet. His home world was destroyed in some intergalactic star war. He travelled here through the Rift. Someone he's been using people's sorrow and pain as a means to manipulate the Rift. If gets two more—" Jack thought about it. He'd died again at the Surgeon's hands, did that count? "One more blood sacrifice and he will rent open the Rift to return to where he came from, except this hellish plane we're on now will devour the whole world and we'll be trapped here.

Anyone that dies in this realm – at the hands of the Surgeon or the Behemoth—gets trapped here. Their spirit stays here, unable to move on, It's like a living hell for us."

"So Aeron-?" Gwen began.

"Yeah, he's here. I've been working with him trying to get a message through to you guys. Thankfully, he was able to get Catrin and the baby out of here before the baby died. If he hadn't we'd be in for a hell of a time right now."

"God," Gwen gasped, fighting a sudden wave of nausea. "So, what do we do?" she asked.

"This place exists in both this plane and our normal reality. I need you guys to destroy it in our word. Blow it up, bulldoze it, whatever, I don't care. It needs to be destroyed on both sides."

"How are you going to destroy it here?" Martha asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Jack confessed. "I was hoping that I'd get the message through and that once you'd done your bit it would weaken the Surgeon's hold on this world and I could handle things on this end."

"But you died here," Ianto pointed out.

"Yes."

"What will happen to you once this place is destroyed?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Jack assured him. "I imagine Aeron, Mary, and the others will cross over."

"But you could, too…" Ianto began.

"It's possible," Jack agreed gently.

"So, we'd never have seen you again."

"Ianto, please. This is a lot bigger than me right now."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"You lot go back the way you came."

"We can't find our way back out," Gwen argued. "We had a hell of a time getting here. Besides, there's that Weevil waiting for us out there."

"The Hybrid," Jack corrected.

"Who's he when he's at home?"

"He was human. They spliced his DNA with a Weevil's. He possesses the strongest attributes of both species."

"And we can't kill him?"

"Not with guns or weapons," Jack confirmed.

"I don't know how we're going to get back to our world. That thing will tear us apart the minute we get out there. It's like he can sense where we are."

"I'll see if I can distract him. I can't go very far, but it might be enough to get you guys safely home."

"I'm not leaving you," Ianto said firmly.

"Please, don't start, Ianto. I have enough to handle without worrying about keeping you safe, too."

"I can keep myself safe, Jack. And you need someone here to watch your back."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a huge pain in the ass?"

"I thought that was part of what you liked about me," Ianto jested.

Jack's anger melted away. He was lucky to have such a loyal partner as Ianto. Most people wouldn't risk their live, much less their eternal soul and damnation for a lover. Ianto would without a second thought. Ianto certainly deserved better than what Jack was capable of giving him.

"Fine," Jack relented, "but you keep yourself alive. If your death is what triggers the apocalypse, I'll never forgive you."

"Yes, Sir," Ianto replied.

"Gwen, you get Martha and Rhys back to our world as fast as you can and bring this place down."

"As quick as I can," Gwen agreed.

"And keep everyone alive."

"No dying."

Jack nodded and crossed to the door. He pushed the desk away from the door and wrenched it open.

"Go!" he shouted.

A figure bolted into the door, causing everyone to arm their guns.

"Hold your fire!" a feminine voice said.

Jack, Gwen, and Rhys, stared at the girl in shock and surprise. It wasn't the Weevil Hybrid they'd expected. It was Catrin.

"Who's she?" Martha asked, keeping her gun trained at the woman.

"Martha Jones, meet Catrin Foster. She's the only person to make it out of this place alive."

"Barely." Catrin corrected.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jack thundered.

Catrin swallowed past her obvious fear and met Jack's gaze head on.

"Aeron contacted me in a dream. He told me he needed my help, so, here I am. I ran from the hospital."

"Oh. Christ," Gwen and Rhys muttered in unison, before shooting wry smiles at each other.

"Do you have any idea of how much danger you're putting yourself into/" Jack asked.

"it doesn't matter. Aeron needs me."

"How did you even get here?"

"It wasn't that hard. It's like this place was calling to me. I just….walked."

"Great. Your blood must be the key to tearing down the wall between dimensions. The last place you should be is here."

All of a sudden, the basement door caved in, and in the doorway stood the Surgeon, the Behemoth, the Hybrid, the Plant Man, and a horrifying version of Mary.

God damn it!


	13. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

"What the Hell are those?" Martha demanded, staring aghast at the ghoulish figures streaming in from out of the basement.

"The spirits of people that died here," Jack back, drawing his Webley.

"Will our fists work on them, Jack?" Gwen asked, clenching her fists angrily.

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"Well, we have to do something!"

Jack shot a glance over his shoulder to see where Catrin was. She was standing wide-eyed at the back of the group.

"Protect Catrin," he barked.

"Come on," Martha soothed, putting comforting hands around Catrin's shoulders. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"No!" Catrin exclaimed, shrugging Martha's hands off her shoulders. "He's here, I know he is! I have to save Aeron!"

"The only way we can save Aeron is to get out of here," Martha said sternly.

"No! He's here!"

"Martha, get her out of here!" Jack bellowed "No arguments."

Martha sighed. As a doctor, she was trained to deal with difficult patients. Patients that didn't want to take their medication, or wouldn't stay off their broken or sprained bones. However, she didn't have a sedative to give the girl, and she wasn't about to punch her out.

Catrin gasped as Aeron appeared on the stairs. He rushed down toward her, his feet flying.

She met him at the bottom of the stairs, launching her self at him. Despite his normal appearance, he was not corporeal. Catrin passed right through him.

"Aeron?" she gasped, eyes dripping with sadness.

"I'm sorry, babe," Aeron whispered. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"I want to touch you…'

"I know."

Catrin sobbed, shaking her head emphatically.

"I thought…I thought you were still alive, that they'd been mistaken. They never found your body.'

"I wish I was."

Aeron reached out a hand longingly and brushed it down Catrin's cheek. His finger went through her warm flesh.

"I have to help you!" Catrin insisted, sniffling.

"You can help me by leaving," Aeron said. "I need you to find the version of this place in our plane and destroy it. That will set my soul free."

"You won't come back?"

"No."

Catrin fell to her knees. "I came all this way for nothing…"

Aeron crouched down so that he was level with her.

"If you set my soul free, I can cross over, Cat. You don't want me to be trapped in this place for eternity, do you?"

"No," she murmured.

"So, go. Rescue me. Set me free."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Aeron contemplated that. He had no idea what would happen to his soul once it was free from this prison. He had never believed in Heaven or Hell, so he highly doubted he'd go to their place. Would he be allowed to stay here on Earth and watch over Catrin?

"I hope so, baby."

Across the room, Mary stepped forward menacingly.

"Give us the girl, Jack," she said. "We'll let your friends go if you give us what we want."

"You should know me better than that Mary," Jack replied. "By the way, what happened to you?"

"The Surgeon helped me tap into my sorrow. It's transformed me into something new, something better. For the first time in my life, I feel powerful."

"What are you?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "The closest thing your world has to what I am is a banshee."

"An outer space banshee?" Rhys exclaimed.

"If faeries are real, why not banshees?" Gwen shot back.

"Enough of this chatter!" Mary screeched. "Give us the girl or you'll all be joining us."

"Over our dead bodies," Jack quipped.

"Get them!" Mary threw back her head and let out an ear-piercing screech.

The assembled monsters started toward the group, hatred in their eyes. Only the Surgeon stayed back.

Mary shrieked again, and Gwen clapped her hands over her ears.

"I've got Mariah Carey!" she said, setting her chin determinedly.

"You can't fight her, Gwen!" Jack insisted.

"Come on," Martha said, grabbing Catrin's arm. "We have to get you out of here!"

Catrin glanced back at Aeron sadly.

"Keep safe!" he called after her.

Martha rent open the door and ushered Catrin out. She glanced down at her watch and saw that it was after six in the morning. Daylight was fast approaching. Maybe the daylight would lead her home? The sky showed no sign of the approaching dawn, here.

Back in the asylum, Jack and Gwen were arguing heatedly.

"Get out of here, Gwen!" Jack barked.

"I'm not leaving you here, Jack!"

"You have to! You can't fight these monsters, and if you die, you'll start the apocalypse."

"He has a point, Gwen," Rhys agreed, ducking under a propelled vine, courtesy of the Plant Man. "We're out numbered here."

"Hey!" Ianto dove out of the way as the Hybrid launched itself at him. He kidded across the floor, groaning as his body smacked onto the hard floor.

Gwen looked about her. The truth was, they were terribly outnumbered. With no way to physically hurt these ghouls, there wasn't much of a fight. Death on their part was almost certain. She groaned and grabbed Rhys. Together, they ran for the door.

Jack turned to Ianto. "I really wish you'd listen for once."

"Where's the fun in that?" Ianto clapped back.

Jack grabbed Ianto and led him up the stairs. If they were going to survive this, they'd have to outsmart the monsters.

"We're going to have to hide you away until the others can get their job done," he said.

"Where could I hide that they wouldn't find me? They can literally go anywhere!" Ianto pointed out.

"it's worth a shot."

Jack pulled him into a room. The far wall was rotting away and had a hole in it big enough for Ianto to fit through.

"In there," he encouraged.

"Why do I insist on wearing suits on missions?" Ianto wondered aloud s he dropped down to his knees and crawled inside the wall.

He cringed as he crawled through copious spider webs. The spiders were –thankfully—nowhere to be seen. He looked behind him to see that Jack was following him.

As soon as he was able, Ianto stood up and took in his surroundings. In the scant light, he could not make out much, but they appeared to be in a hidden access tunnel between the walls. He decided not to try to make sense of it, just the thought of it threatened a migraine.

They followed the tunnel as it snaked round the building and led up. Halfway up the stairs, Ianto began to feel fatigue set in.

At the top of the stairs was a door which led to the roof,

The roof was about as big as the main room of the Hub, but littered with petrol cans, decaying cigarette butts, leaves, and other various garbage.

"Well," Ianto said, looking around, "this is romantic."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Jack replied.

Ianto walked over to the edge and looked down. He was surprised to see a rusty ladder leading down. Good to know, he thought.

He went back over to Jack and together, they shoved an oil drum up against the door. It wouldn't do much to deter the creatures from joining them on the roof, but it was enough of an obstacle to give Jack and Ianto time to hurry down the ladder.

"I'm so tired," Ianto said, sighing. "I feel like I haven't slept in days."

"Because you haven't."

"I didn't have time. I had to save you."

'Come here."

Jack lay down and spread his coat out so that Ianto wouldn't sully his suit further.

Ianto smiled gratefully and lay down beside Jack. He rested his head on Jack's chest.

"You're still solid," he muttered, closing his eyes.

"I technically can't die," Jack reminded him.

"But you're trapped here?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I died here."

"But didn't you die here before when they were experimenting on you?"

Jack hadn't thought about that. He had died here several times all those years ago, so how had he been able to leave the asylum?

"I don't know," he confessed, perplexed.

"What are we going to do, Jack? What happens if Gwen and the others don't make it?"

"Then we'll be stuck here until someone else gets sacrificed. Then, I'd imagine that the world will be destroyed and we'll cease to exist. If I can cease to exist. Who knows? Maybe I'll be condemned to spend eternity floating round in space…living, dying..and repeating."

Ianto stifled a yawn and snaked his arm around Jack's waist.

"I never thought I'd get to do this again," Ianto confessed.

"Sleep," Jack said softly.

Ianto closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gwen dialed her mobile as she and Rhys ran. Their only hope was to get help from Andy. Otherwise, they were doomed.

* * *

After a few rings, Andy answered, but it was laden with static.

"Andy! It's Gwen! I need you to go out to the old asylum and demolish it!"

"Gwen?"

"Did you hear me!?"

" Something about an asylum."

"It's real, Andy. I need you to go out there."

"How?"

"I'll send you the coordinates. Blow it up, knock it down, do whatever you have to, just do it!"

She terminated the call, and using her PDA – which had a frighteningly low battery, sent the coordinates to Andy's phone. Hopefully he would get them and be able to complete his task in time.

* * *

Martha and Catrin stumbled through the foggy woods, trying to find the tunnel that had brought them here. Catrin's intuition that had led her to the sanatorium seemed to only work for finding the sanatorium.

"It was around here somewhere!" Martha muttered, looking about furiously. She had to hurry back to the real world before it was too late. She didn't want to lose any more of her friends.

"Take me back," Catrin begged. "He needs me."

"No," Martha said firmly. "If you get yourself killed, you'll trigger the apocalypse. "

"But he needs me!"

"He needs you to stay as far away from that place as possible."

Martha could hear footfalls behind them, loud and hurried. She shoved Catrin into bush and drew her gun – out of habit.

"Don't shoot!" Gwen cried, holding up her hands, eyes wide.

"Gwen, thank God! I thought it was that Weevil thing again."

"I'm sure he'll be just behind us any moment," Rhys assured her bitterly.

"I can't find the tunnel," Martha confessed. "it's like it doesn't exist! And he fog is getting thicker."

"They're making it harder for us to get out of here," Gwen surmised.

"If we can find a way safely through the realities, the sun is almost up back home. We'll be safe there."

"Come on."

Gwen fished her PDA out of the pocket of her leather jacket and tried to pull up the Satnav. The system updated, but an error message popped up. "Signal lost."

She returned the PDA to her pocket and slowly started walking. She didn't want to risk falling into a cavernous pit or breaking her neck.

Monotonously, they kept walking, checking as best as they could for the tunnel entrance. Surely the entities that controlled this realm didn't have to power to completely close the gateway, not yet.

Martha and Catrin searched to the left, while Gwen and Rhys took the right. The door had to be there somewhere…

"Got it!" Martha exclaimed triumphantly as she found the doors. She pulled them open and shone her torch down the stairs.

Catrin started down the stairs as Gwen an Rhys joined them. Martha heaved a sigh of relief. They were safe – for the moment.

At the bottom of the stairs, things went haywire. The tunnel that had brought them here was no longer there. Instead, they were back in the sanatorium!

"What?" Rhys gasped.

"Temporal displacement," Martha theorized.

"That's just bloody wonderful," Gwen moaned. "We're stuck in a sodding loop."

They appeared to be in the basement of the asylum, in the corridor where Ianto had found Jack.

"Maybe we can find the cellar doors from here and try again," Gwen said hopefully.

"it's worth a shot," Martha agreed, taking the lead.

The group waded through the water, careful not to make too much noise. There was no sight of the creatures, but that didn't mean that they weren't lurking nearby to ambush them.

The tunnel came to an end and they climbed up out of the water to find themselves back in the lobby.

"This is doing my head in," Rhys remarked, rubbing his forehead.

At the sound of Rhys' voice, the monsters appeared, glaring at them menacingly.

"What are we going to do!?" Catrin demanded, cowering.

"Get behind us and stay quiet." Gwen ordered.

The creatures rushed them. Gwen was knocked backward into Martha by the Behemoth, as he charged her like an American footballer.

The air rushed out of Gwen's lungs involuntarily, and she sputtered, gasping.

The Hybrid leapt and Rhys rolled out of the way, panic in his eyes. He was only here for moral support. He wasn't qualified to be fighting with otherworldly creatures.

Gwen struggled to get up, her lungs bursting for air. Martha scrambled out from underneath of her.

The Behemoth towered over Catrin, who whimpered like a child. He snatched her up by her hair and lifted her to his eye level. He sniffed her and growled.

"Let her go!" Rhys commanded futilely

Gwen, Martha, and Rhys were grabbed by Mary, the Plant Man, and the Hybrid.

Wait…they were solid?

Gwen flung an elbow back and connected with Mary's eye. The woman shrieked and dropped Gwen to the ground.

She rolled and fired three shots – one into the legs of Plant Man, the Hybrid, and the Behemoth.

All three creatures bellowed, and dropped their quarry.

"What's going on?" Martha asked, helping Catrin to her feet.

"Andy must have be doing it!" Gwen realized.

"Doing what?"

"Before we found you I phoned my friend Andy. He must be destroying the building in our world."

"Time does move faster there," Martha agreed.

"We have a chance!" Rhys said triumphantly.

* * *

Andy drew back the wrecking ball and then slammed it into the building again, The ravaged building groaned and a wall caved in.

Gwen's call had woken him up from some much needed sleep, but her voice had been so desperate that he knew it had to be urgent.

He had thrown on some clothes and called his mate Tommy, who worked construction. Tommy had not been too keen on letting him borrow the crane and wrecking ball, but Andy had persuaded him. He was a police officer, after all.

After a quick stop at the hardware store – again courtesy of his badge – Andy had been on his way with the ingredients to make a bomb.

He'd driven the machine through the woods, following Gwen's pinpoint to exactly, and had been gobsmacked to see that there was, in fact, an old hospital in the woods.

He slammed the wrecking ball back into the building and whooped with delight as more of the dilapidated foundation tumbled down.

Throwing the big construction vehicle into reverse, Andy crashed back through some trees until he was sure that he was well enough away from the building.

"I hope this works," he muttered, pulling out the detonator

He'd watched enough Youtube videos on how to make explosives at home – not for a hobby, but to be aware of how to disarm them should he ever encounter one - that he was fairly confident that it would work. It taken him a few nerve-wracking hours, but he'd pulled it off.

"Here goes."

Andy pressed the button.

The asylum was engulfed in a mushroom cloud of flame and explosives.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The entire asylum was rocked by the explosion – in both dimensions. Bits of the ceiling started to crack and rain down, pelting everyone.

"We've got to get her out of here!" Gwen shouted, nodding her head toward Catrin, who was cowering in the corner.

"I'm not leaving you," Martha said defiantly.

"Rhys?"

"You're out of your bloody mind if you think I'm running away now and leaving you to deal with this," Rhys shot back, cocking his gun.

The monsters were recovering from their wounds, and they were not happy. The Behemoth glowered at them, before dissolving into thin air, no doubt trying to find Jack and Ianto.

"Catrin, get out of here!" Gwen ordered.

The girl had her head in her hands, shaking it emphatically. This was all too much for her fragile brain to handle. Gwen pitied her, poor thing.

Her attention was brought back to the situation at hand when the Banshee shrieked again and bared sharp teeth at her.

"That bitch is mine," Gwen declared, gritting her teeth angrily.

The other monsters fell on their prey.

Martha's left arm was snatched up by a vine from the Plant Man. It began tugging her arm, pulling her inexorably closer, even as she grunted and dug her heels into the floor.

Rhys was knocked onto the ground, the Hybrid on top of him, canines gnashing hungrily toward his exposed throat.

"Ever heard of a mint, mate? "Rhys commented, straining to keep the creature from getting its prize.

The Banshee charged Gwen, her long claws slashing dangerously.

Gwen tried to block with her arm and cried out as the talons sliced through the sleeve of her jacket and tore at her skin.

"All right, now you've pissed me off!" Gwen said, low in her throat. "That was my favorite jacket!"

With an animalistic cry of her own, Gwen launched herself at the Banshee, knocking them both to the hard floor.

Her hair, drenched with sweat, hung in her eyes in clumps. Gwen reared back and socked the Banshee right in the throat.

"No more screaming from you," she hissed.

Rhys had managed to use his weight to shift so that he was now on top of the Hybrid. It took of all of his might to hold the savage creature down. He could feel its taut muscles straining to break loose, to get at him, so that it could sink it's yellowed teeth into the soft, warm flesh of his throat.

"Where's my gun?" he murmured, looking around him listlessly. He'd had one when they'd left Ianto's car. It probably fell out during the excursion through the woods, he thought.

"Gwen!?" he called, his voice a strained cry

Gwen glanced at him over her shoulder and slid her gun across the floor to him.

Rhys snatched it up and fired into the creature's chest.

Martha clawed at the vine encasing her arm, but to no avail. What little she could damage with her nails, leaked green chlorophyll out of it.

The Plant Man reared back and launched another vine toward her throat Martha flung herself aside, narrowly missing it. The last thing she wanted was a plant boa constrictor suffocating her.

Her mind when back to school, when her class has learned about plants. Plants were dependent on sunlight, which there was none of, but the creature was still thriving. Fire would make a good weapon, but she didn't have access to a lighter.

She craned her neck to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon. Her gun was pointless in this battle. Her eyes scanned the rubble as the building continued to shake and come apart slowly around them.

Aha! Across the room from where she was, an axe was on display, the glass enclosing it long broken.

Martha moved so that she was in front of the axe and snickered.

"Is that it?" she snorted. "I reckon I've seen better work from a little leaguer in the schoolyard."

The Plant Man reeled back angrily, jerking Martha forward on her feet, and propelled another vine at her.

At the last second, Martha ducked down and watched as the vine struck the axe and ensnared it. She stood up, as if unaware that the axe was now flying her way.

Again, she dodged the axe. Not anticipating this, the Plant Man stiffened as the axe careened toward him.

* * *

Up on the roof, Jack and Ianto held onto each other as the building shook.

"What was that?" Ianto asked, clasping Jack tightly.

"I don't know," Jack confessed, getting to his feet. "Martha must have done it."

"So, all we have to do is get out of here without dying."

Jack turned around and the Surgeon and the Behemoth standing across the roof from them. The Behemoth was leering at him threateningly, his blade gleaming brightly in the moonlight.

"Easier said than done," Jack said anxiously.

It was crunch time. There was only a matter of minutes before the asylum caved in, ending the threat, but in the meantime, the Surgeon would be bound and determined to get his final blood sacrifice so that he could use the Rift to get back home.

Ianto noticed the monsters and felt his heart start to rage in his chest. He strode quickly over to the edge and looked at the rusty ladder again. It was worn, sure, but it might be strong enough to hold their weights long enough for them to get down.

"We can climb down," he said with a slight smile.

"You can." Jack corrected hm.

Ianto knit his brows in confusion. Surely after all of this, Jack wasn't still thinking that he would be trapped here forever.

"What do you mean?" Ianto asked, grabbing Jack's arm.

"No.'" Jack shook him off. "One of us needs to stay behind and keep those two busy until the end."

"Why can't we just make a run for it?"

"They won't stop until they get the last of the blood. Besides, that ladder won't hold both of our weights. It's got one trip in it. Use it, Ianto Jones."

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Jack!" Ianto insisted.

"You have to!"

"If you stay, you'll be killed! Your blood will trigger the apocalypse and the world will be destroyed anyway."

"I don't intend to die."

"But—"

"No buts, Ianto. Go!"

He pulled Ianto to him and kissed him deeply, passionately. Ianto kissed him back, holding Jack tightly.

Jack broke the kiss and shoved Ianto toward the ladder.

Barely holding his emotions in, Ianto stepped down onto the first rung of the ladder. He paused, staring at Jack helplessly.

"Go," Jack ordered.

Ianto grit his teeth and started to descend the ladder.

* * *

Jack turned back to face the monsters.

"You won't get him," he vowed, his words drenched in anger. "I offer myself instead. I won't fight you."

The Behemoth and the Surgeon exchanged a silent glance and then the Surgeon disappeared. Jack gasped when he felt the Surgeon's presence behind him. Instinctively, he thrust his elbow back and felt it connect with his target's nose.

The Surgeon dropped to this knees. He reached up and ripped the rubber surgical mask from his head.

The sickly sight of the Surgeon's true, macabre visage once again made Jack's stomach lurch involuntarily. A purple substance leaked from the hollow cavity where the Surgeon's nose should have been. Jack could only assume the purple goo was what passed for blood in the Surgeon's species.

"You've failed," Jack informed him. "This place is going down and your sick experiments are over. You're not going home."

The Surgeon growled angrily, mashing his hands into the concrete of the roof.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Jack taunted smugly. I told you that you wouldn't get away with what you've done."

The Surgeon glowered up at him, his eyes burning read with fury.

Suddenly, the tip of the Behemoth's pickaxe tore through Jack's chest. Wide eyed, he looked down as he felt his lifeblood rushing from the wound.

* * *

There was a piercing crack and then the sky lit up a burnt orange. The wind picked up, the clouds swirled together, forming a cyclone. The ground shook violently, roiling into itself like boiling water.

The apocalypse had been triggered.

* * *

Martha felt guilty as the axe buried itself into the chest of the Plant Man. She was doctor, she'd sworn to harm no one, and yet here she was ending a life. The fact that it was kill or be killed did nothing to assuage her guilt.

His body was thrown back and he lay in a pile of the floor, his body convulsing as the chlorophyll substance drained from the wound.

"I'm sorry that it had to come to this," Martha said sincerely, standing over him.

With a choking sound, the Plant Man grew still and his body withered away in seconds, leaving only a pile of dry, browned leaves.

She turned to see that Rhys was underneath of the Hybrid. Despite the bullet wound in its chest, the creature was still determined to rip out Rhys' throat. Rhys' energy was waning, and the creature's teeth were getting closer and closer to their goal.

Martha launched herself at them, the force of her tackle throwing the Hybrid off of Rhys.

The Hybrid showed no signs of weakening, and clambered on top of Martha, baring its fangs and lowering them toward her throat.

She strained against the creature, her arms burning with the exertion. She grit her teeth, sweat beading down her face from the effort. I can't die here! she told herself.

The Hybrid drew closer and closer, its hot, fetid breath curdling Martha's stomach. She cried out as the tips of its canines dug into the soft flesh of her throat.

"Mickey!" she cried out desperately.

A gunshot went off nearby and suddenly the Hybrid was dead weight on Martha's chest.

She cracked an eye open to see that Rhys' bullet had went through its head, killing it.

"Thanks for the hand," Rhys said, rolling the creature off of Martha.

"Back at you," Martha gasped struggling for breath.

* * *

Ianto gripped the ladder tightly as it blew to and fro in the heavy winds. Something had happened, something not very good.

I hope that Jack is okay, he thought as the struggled to make his way back up. There was no way that he was going to go on and not go back for Jack.

His hands and feet scrambled desperately for purchase as he slowly made his way to the roof.

Lightning flared and tore through the sky, striking the building above him. Sparks and bits of concrete rained down on him.

Ianto threw up a hand to protect his face and cried out as one side of the ladder came completely loose from the building. His heart dropped into his stomach as he cast a glance down and saw that he was too high up to survive a fall. I guess there's worse ways to go, he reasoned, swallowing his fear.

Breathing deeply to calm himself, Ianto pulled himself up another rung and another, the metal of the ladder groaning with each movement. He could see that he didn't have long before the other side came loose and the was plummeted to the ground.

Jack, Ianto thought. I have to save Jack.

He reached the top and pulled himself back onto the roof. As he was putting his weight down to step up, the ladder tore free and disappeared into the maelstrom.

His tie was blowing in his face, the wind much stronger on the roof. He squinted through the dust and dirt blowing around violently, and spotted Jack's dead body on the ground. No. Ianto sunk to his knees. Jack had died and his death had triggered the end of the world. He had no idea how to even stop it.

Ianto noticed the Surgeon – at least he assumed it was the Surgeon, as it bore no resemblance to humanoid figure it had recently appeared – facing the heart of the storm, a cyclone amidst the clouds.

He ascertained that the Surgeon planned on leaping into the cyclone and would be transported back to where he had come from, narrowly missing the destruction that he has wrought on this world. Not on Ianto's watch.

With his blood boiling, Ianto drew his gun and fired off several rounds into the Surgeon's back. The force of the bullets threw him to the ground.

Ianto crossed to him and jammed the heel of his shoe into the creature's throat.

"Where do you think you're going?" he barked.

* * *

Gwen head butted the Banshee, groaning as a starburst marred her vision. Adrenaline and anger lit through her body, spurring her on.

Gwen grabbed the Banshee's head and slammed it into the floor several times, listening for the satisfying crunches.

"Gwen, stop!" Rhys cried.

"Why should I?" Gwen demanded. "If she had her way she'd have killed us all without a second thought. She has to be stopped."

"Do you have to be so bloody savage about it!?"

Gwen stopped, stunned. It wasn't like her to derive so much pleasure out of violence. She didn't like to kill, she only did it if it was absolutely necessary.

She gasped and let go of the Banshee's head. Some dark force was trying to invade her. It had to be this place. All of the evil and the pain was prescient in the building. If she didn't break the cycle of barbarism now, she'd be no better than the monsters that she was trying to stop.

The Banshee rolled her head to look up at Gwen and her features began to morph. Her skin began to take on a normal –albeit rather pale – pigmentation. Her grey hair softened and became blonde. Her fangs retracted and were replaced with ordinary, white teeth.

"Forgive me," Mary Winstead croaked, blood spilling out of her mouth.

Suddenly, Gwen was overcome with guilt. She had treated this poor woman as if she were the source of the evil, but in reality, she was no less a victim of this situation than Gwen was. And now, she was beaten to a pulp because Gwen had lost her temper.

"I'm so sorry!" Gwen gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock.

"I let my anger consume me," Mary continued. "Jack will never love me now."

Gwen bit her tongue. Whatever had transpired between Jack and this woman all those years ago was between the two of them. Maybe he had once truly loved her.

"You'll apologize to him for me, won't you?" Mary asked.

"Of course, darling," Gwen cooed, taking in the woman's broken shape. There was no way that she was going to survive this.

"I never wanted it to end up like this." A tear rained down her alabaster cheek. "All I wanted was for he and I to be together. I love him so much."

"I know. I know you do."

The asylum shook once more, knocking Gwen off her feet.

"We have to go!" Martha shouted, grabbing Catrin. "This place is coming down!"

As if to emphasize her point, the ceiling started to give way, cascading down on them.

Rhys grabbed Gwen tightly around the arm.

"Let's go, Gwen."

"No!" Gwen shook him off. She wasn't going to leave this poor woman, a woman that she had beat to a pulp, to die alone. And she certainly wasn't going to leave without Jack and Ianto.

"There's no time for arguing, Gwen. Let's go!"

"I won't leave her."

"Go," Mary said. 'the truth is, I died over eighty years ago on that operating table. Everything else has just been hell."

Rhys grabbed Gwen and dragged her away.

Gwen screamed and kicked, trying to pull loose from Rhys' grasp to no avail.

Martha got the door open and ushered the others out to safety.

Get as far away from the building as you can!" she ordered.

Gwen peered through the door and watched sadly as the ceiling completely caved in and Mary's prone body was buried in rubble.

A silent scream escaped her lips.

* * *

Ianto stood over the Surgeon, his shoe digging into the creature's windpipe.

"All of this is because of you!" Ianto shouted. "You killed my boyfriend – several times – you killed all of those innocent people! You tried to kill me, and you tried to kill my friends!" He emphasized each transgression with more pressure on the Surgeon's windpipe. "And now you've opened a portal to take you home that will destroy my world and countless lives to do so" He aimed his gun at the Surgeon's head. "Guess again."

Ianto pulled the trigger and the Surgeon's brains splattered around him.

Instantaneously, the wind died down. The swirling clouds dissipated, and the sky became black again,. He'd done it! He'd stopped the apocalypse.

He turned to Jack, who was now sitting up, eyes wide in shock.

"Jack!"

He ran to his boyfriend, and held him tightly. No matter how many times he lost Jack, it was never going to hurt any less.

"What happened?" Jack's voice came out as barely more than a whisper.

"I shot him. He's dead," Ianto assured him. "Everything's going back to normal."

Ianto was suddenly jerked back. He rolled across the roof, scraping his cheeks and hands on the rough cement.

Groaning, he sat up, looking toward Jack.

The Behemoth stood over Jack, his pick axe held high.

"No!"

Ignoring the pain in the muscles, Ianto took off at a charge. Throwing all of his weight into it, he tackled the Behemoth, throwing the giant off balance.

Ianto knelt next to Jack, helping him to his feet.

When they turned around, the Behemoth towered over the two of them once more, his pickaxe about to stab them.

A last bolt of lightning shot through the sky, arcing through the Behemoth. The creature cried out as his body was electrocuted.

The rooftop gave way beneath them, and Ianto, Jack, and the Behemoth disappeared into the debris.


	15. Epilogue

Gwen, Rhys, Martha, and Catrin watched in wonder as the asylum was struck with lightening and then imploded.

"Jack! Ianto!" Gwen screamed, her voice raw.

She had lost Tosh and Owen, and that had hurt her very deeply, the thought of losing Jack and Ianto, too, that was inconceivable to her. How could she carry on? Could she run Torchwood sufficiently on her own?

She started toward the sanatorium, but Rhys' strong hands held her tightly.

"No, Gwen," he said firmly.

"Get off!" she howled. "I can't leave them!"

"They're gone, love," he cajoled.

"You don't know that!"

"We've got to go see if they're okay!" Martha exclaimed, the doctor in her taking over.

Gwen shrugged out of Rhys' vise-like grip and followed Martha at a swift jog back toward the ruins of the asylum.

"Bloody bull-headed woman," Rhys murmured, rolling his eyes and following his wife.

Catrin stood still, staring at the rubble. What had happened to Aeron? He had disappeared in the fray, but he had said that his spirit was tied to the asylum. Now that the asylum was no longer standing, was he gone? Would she really get denied a chance to say goodbye – again?

"Catrin," a voice whispered in a light breeze.

She whirled around and there stood Aeron. He was transparent, growing increasingly so, but it was him.

"Aeron!" she gasped.

She made to throw her arms around him, but he held up a hand.

"No touch, I'm afraid," he said sorrowfully.

Catrin's vision blurred with tears.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"It's my time, Cat," Aeron replied. "I can feel the other side calling to me. I can't stay here."

Catrin nodded, tears streaking down her cheeks.

Aeron frowned, his brown eyes peering into the icy blue of hers. He had never appreciated her enough while he was alive, and it was a shame that now that he had changed, it was too late. His metamorphosis into a new man, his redemption was too late. He wasn't getting a second chance. Had he expected one? Had his actions been driven by selfishness?

"Before I go….." he started.

""Yeah?" she pressed, biting her lip.

"This is my last chance to say it…"

"Don't," she begged, her heart breaking.

"I love you. I have always loved you. I am so, so sorry that I didn't treat you better when I had the chance. You deserve so much better than what I gave you."

"I love you, too," she sobbed, her face a mess of tears and snot. "You weren't all bad."

Aeron laughed to hide his own heartbreak. He extended his hand out toward her stomach.

"I'm sorry about our baby," he murmured, choking up.

"Wasn't meant to be, I guess," Catrin commiserated.

Aeron suddenly started to fade away.

"What's happening!?" Catrin demanded.

"I'm being pulled back. I have to go."

Catrin nodded sadly.

"Before I go, I want you to promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Be happy, Cat. Have a fantastic life. Meet a great bloke who'll give you great life, who will treat you well and give you everything you deserve."

"You would have given me all that."

"Maybe. But still –"

"I promise."

Aeron smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Catrin leaned in too and their lips met – almost.

Aeron pulled away and faded away in a shimmer of light.

Catrin stared at the spot that he had inhabited only moments before.

"Aeron," she choked out, before falling to her knees and surrendering to the onslaught of pain and tears.

* * *

By the time Gwen and Martha reached the ruins of the sanatorium all that remained was a heaping mass of smoke and rubble.

"We have to hurry," Martha cautioned.

Gwen nodded and stepped over the remaining brick foundation. In the middle of the room, there was a gargantuan hole in the floor, leading down to what must have been the basement. Mindful of how much weight she put on the vulnerable flooring, she peered over the edge.

There was slope leading down, made of brick and concrete. If she was careful enough, she might be able to slide down and check for Jack and Ianto.

"I'm heading down," she told Martha, nodding downward.

"I'll look over here," Martha replied pointing toward the far corner of the room.

Gwen sat down and then shifted down onto the slab. The heels of her boots fought for purchase, but eventually found stability. Slowly, she worked her way down on her butt.

At the base, she saw that the frame from the staircase had fallen down and penetrated the debris. Her gut instinct told her to start there.

Grunting against the heavy slabs, she started pulling them up and away. The pile beside her grew and grew as she tunneled deeper in.

She heaved a boulder out of the way and gasped as she took in the sight before her.

Jack's broken, bloody body lie prone, the staircase impaling him clear through the chest.

Her heart started to hammer in her chest.

"Martha!" she cried. "Help!"

Martha appeared up above her.

"Oh, God! I'll be right down. She's down there," Martha said to someone out of Gwen's sight.

Martha hurriedly slid down to join Gwen and knelt beside her. She could tell by the wan, pale complexion of Jack's skin that he was dead. He'd revive though – wouldn't he? The main concern was finding Ianto, who did not share his lover's power of immortality.

With the combined strength of the women, they were able to lift Jack ….to reveal Ianto.

Ianto had also been stabbed by the scaffolding, but it had barely invaded his abdomen.

"Ianto?" Martha said softly.

Ianto groaned and opened an eye. His face was bloody and scraped, but for the most part he seemed to be well.

"I don't think I've ever hurt this much in my life," he moaned, trying to sit up.

"Stay still," Martha ordered, unbuttoning Ianto's vest and dress shirt to inspect the wound.

"How bad is it?" Gwen queried, gnawing at her lip nervously.

"It doesn't look like it perforated any organs," Martha mused.

"Great. Let's pull it out of me and you can give me a proper doctoring back at the Hub, yeah?" Ianto suggested.

"Oh, yeah, Ianto's going to be fine," Gwen joked. "He's being cheeky."

"Better cheeky than dead."

The two women yanked and removed the metal spike from Ianto's chest. To his credit, he didn't cry out, but he did grit his teeth. Thankfully, blood did not ooze out of the wound. Ianto was very lucky indeed.

He got to his feet and looked over at Jack's corpse. The only reason that he was alive was because of Jack. As they'd fallen, Jack had used his own body to soften the blow, and then, when he'd seen what was about to fall on top of them, he'd rolled on top of Ianto to take the brunt of it all.

"He died to save my life," Ianto said sadly.

"I'm sure he'll be just fine," Gwen assured him with more confidence than she felt.

Ianto knelt down beside his lover, his suit in tatters. He wasn't going anywhere until Jack revived.

* * *

Jack was surrounded by darkness. He was used to that when he died. The whole idea that when you died you went to Heaven or Hell was a total lie, at least in his experience. Every time that he died, all he ever saw was blackness.

He had finally freed the souls of the victims of the Surgeon, that had been gnawing at his conscience for years. He had saved his friends, had saved Ianto. Maybe this time he was done. Maybe this time he would finally die properly.

He could hear Ianto, Gwen, and Martha's voices from what seemed a great distance, and yet, he heard ever y word. Ianto was refusing to save himself. He was going to sit by Jack's side until he resurrected.

 _Foolish Ianto,_ Jack thought affectionately.

In this place devoid of everything, he never usually felt anything, he had no body, nothing tangible. And yet, this time, he felt…tired. Exhausted. He wanted to give up the battle. He had redeemed himself. He wanted to be done.

Suddenly, a light grew out of the inky depths of the darkness and two figures – at first blurry – came to light. The sight of them almost made Jack drop to his knees – if he'd had knees.

Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper stood before him. Tosh was smiling warmly, while Owen looked pissed off as always.

"Hello, Jack," Tosh said with a wave,

"Tosh? How are you-where?"

"You saved me, Jack, and now it's time for me to save you."

"Huh?"

"This battle is over, but there are people who still need you."

"You can't stay dead," Owen blurted crabbily.

"So much for tact," Tosh muttered.

"Sorry, Tosh, but we haven't got time to beat around the bush."

"You two are still bickering in the afterlife!?" Jack exclaimed.

"Would we be us if we weren't?" Owen challenged.

"Fair point."

"We know you've been feeling beat down lately, and blaming yourself to what happened to us," Tosh continued.

"How could I not?"

"It's not your fault, mate," Owen said. "We knew full well what we were signing up for when we joined bloody Torchwood. It comes for us all in the end."

"I should have been able to stop it, I should have been able to save you!"

"Everything has it's time, Jack," Toshiko assured him. "At least we went out doing something good. Something important."

"No hard feelings," Owen agreed.

"if you give up now, our deaths will have been in vain. Our job was to protect the Earth from alien invasion, we died doing just that. We died so that you and Gwen and Ianto could live on to fight another day, to stop the invasion. I'd gladly live my life again if it meant saving the lives of countless others."

Jack took Tosh in. The beautiful Japanese woman had been a dear friend to him when she'd been alive. Her spirit looked well, she possessed a confidence that her human counterpart had always sadly lacked.

"Keep fighting, Jack, for us!"

"I'm tired," he confessed. "I've been doing this for centuries."

"The world needs you," Owen insisted. "Quit being a cry baby and fight!"

"Fight!" Tosh urged.

* * *

Jack gasped and his body instinctively shot up. His lungs filled with air and his eyes could see again.

Ianto quickly threw his arms around him and the feeling was more comforting than Jack cared ot admit.

"He's back!" Martha called, her face splitting into a wide grin.

"About bloody time," Rhys grumbled.

"Oi!" Gwen barked, smacking Rhys in the chest. "Let's see you get impaled by a steel rod and see how long it takes you to recover."

"I'm so glad you're back," Ianto whispered, kissing Jack passionately.

Over Ianto's shoulder, Jack could see the spirits of Tosh and Owen. Tosh smiled as Owen rolled his eyes. They were definitely the real thing, not a figment of his imagination.

"Jack?" Gwen pressed, glancing behind her. "What do you see?"

"Owen and Tosh," he said.

Ianto and Gwen looked behind them, but saw only the destruction behind them.

"Be well, Jack," Toshiko said.

"I'll see you again," Jack promised.

"Don't threaten us," Owen replied sarcastically.

With one last longing look at their old friends, Toshiko and Owen faded into the wind.

"Jack?" Ianto pressed.

"Nevermind," Jack said. "Let's go home."

"Let's go home," Gwen agreed, looping her arm around Rhys' waist.

* * *

The next day, the Torchwood team sat in the main room of the Hub, looking rested, but no worse for the wear.

After they had climbed out of the pit that had once been the sanatorium, Catrin had agreed to go back to the hospital. They had dropped her off before all going home to rest.

Ianto was bandaged, but looked impeccable in a new suit, not a hair out of place. Gwen had a few scratches on her face and neck from her fight with Mary, but otherwise she looked well.

"The only question I have is why weren't you able to leave the asylum this time around? You died there last time and were able to leave..." Gwen mused.

"I've been trying to figure that out," Jack confessed. "I don't know exactly, but my _theory_ is that the first time I was there, the Surgeon wasn't strong enough to keep me there. Over the subsequent years, he'd killed enough victims and amassed enough power to exude complete control over me."

"Makes sense," Gwen relented.

Martha hugged her jacket tightly to her and shifted her feet.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here and be our chief medical advisor?" Jack asked Martha with a maliciously naughty twinkle in his eye.

"As wonderful as that sounds, my life is England. I have…" she paused and met Gwen's eye. "I have to go back."

"I understand," Jack nodded, "but the offer still stands..if you change your mind."

"When does your train leave?" Ianto inquired, picking up Martha's tea cup.

"Twenty minutes!" she exclaimed looking at her phone. "I've got to go!"

"I'll walk you out," Gwen offered.

"Thanks for stepping in and saving the day," Jack said sincerely.

"It's what I do best," Martha teased.

She quickly said her goodbyes and hugged Jack and Ianto.

She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and followed Gwen out the cog door, down the hall, and out the tourist shop entrance.

"So, did you make up your mind?" Gwen asked gently as they walked along the boardwalk.

"I did," Martha replied with a firm nod.

"And…?"

"Mrs. Mickey Smith…has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"It's lovely." Gwen smiled broadly. "Mickey's a lucky bloke."

"I just wish I didn't have to hurt Tom."

"Breaking his heart is better than living a lie."

"True." Martha sighed. "Oh, wish me luck."

"Good luck."

The women embraced and then Martha said, "Take care of him," referring to Jack.

"Always."

With a big grin, Martha said goodbye and started off toward the bus station.

* * *

Later that evening, Gwen and Rhys sat at the dinner table, eating takeaway Chinese.

"How was work today, after that exciting adventure?" Gwen asked, sipping her wine.

"Bloody tedious!" Rhys replied, guffawing.

"Now you understand why I can't go back to a normal life."

"It's a little too much excitement for me, but you have a fire in your veins, Gwen Cooper. Just promise me you'll always come home to me."

"I'll never be anywhere else."

They kissed over the table and then Rhys cleared his throat. "Are you feeling any better?"

"How do you mean?"

"You've been all sort of…emotional lately. Like your hormones are you of whack of something."

"It's just the stress of the job and losing Owen and Tosh," Gwen assured him.

Rhys nodded and finished is beer.

"I'm feeling a little hormonal myself, if you know what I mean," he said with a lascivious grin.

"Oh, Rhys Williams, you pervert!" Gwen giggled and slid her shirt down over her shoulder revealing her bra strap.

Rhys jumped his feet and lifted her up into his arms.

* * *

Back at the Hub, Ianto and Jack lay in bed, entwined in each other's arms. Ianto had his head on Jack's bare chest, his arm firmly wrapped around his torso.

"I thought I'd lost you," he murmured sleepily.

Jack wanted to tell Ianto how tempting it had been to give up, but he knew that the only thing that would is hurt Ianto's feelings, and he didn't want to do that.

"You'll never lose me," Jack said.

"Don't make promises you can't keep. We live a dangerous life, Jack. I could be gone tomorrow. Gwen could. That's why we have to make the most of the time we have now."

Jack could feel something coming on the horizon, something bad. He didn't know how he could sense it, but he knew it was coming and that it was going to change everything irrevocably.

"You're right," he replied, and lost himself in Ianto.


End file.
